A 23-year-old woman from Derry has revealed that she was forced to spend nine days in a hospital staff room due to a lack of available beds. Zoe Carlin was taken to Altnagelvin Hospital in the city in March after suffering from severe chest pain, which she said caused her to believe she was having a heart attack. However, she claims that she spent more than a week in the hospital’s “locker room”, which she had to call staff to using a hand bell. Ms Carlin said the ordeal was “dehumanising” and that a privacy screen in the room’s doorway was not sufficient to provide her with any real privacy.
Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle, Ms Carlin claimed that she had been one of three patients referred to as “alcove patients”. She explained that she was “really scared” because her family had a history of heart attacks occurring in people in their twenties. “They just said there’s not enough beds”, she stated. She said that she fainted twice while waiting 29 hours in the emergency department before being taken to the ward, where she had to use a school bell to contact staff when she needed to use the bathroom.
Ms Carlin added that she believed that medical and nursing staff at the hospital were doing their best in difficult circumstances, but on just two occasions during her nine-day stay did she see a doctor. Reports suggest that the hospital was experiencing severe pressures in its emergency departments, but the Western Health and Social Care Trust (WHSCT) stayed that it could not comment on individual cases due to confidentiality. The WHSCT spokesperson did say, however, that all patient complaints were “investigated promptly” and that the Trust was “acutely aware” of ongoing pressures in emergency departments.
Ms Carlin has been on a waiting list to see a specialist for her heart condition since early 2024 and now fears that it will take even longer to access medical assistance. She stated that she did not have the financial means to access private care. When discharged from the hospital, a member of medical staff told her to return to her GP, admitting that her condition was not easy to diagnose. Ms Carlin therefore remains unsure what to do about her undiagnosed condition, which has added to the emotional burden of the experience.
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