Cameras reveal A&E nightmares

Secret filming shows more than 30 patients waiting two days for medical attention in the corridor of a hospital's A&E department, a TV documentary will claim tonight.

A 67-year-old woman was kept for three days and two nights in a hallway at the Kent and Canterbury hospital, while a 100-year-old woman was left in a hallway overnight, according to ITV1's Tonight With Trevor McDonald.

But the East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust said it was disgraceful to suggest that patients were left unattended. A spokeswoman said: "All patients are given proper care plans and treated by nurses even if the environment is not perfect." She also criticised the decision to film in secret, saying the hospital had never tried to hide the problems it currently faced.

The filming took place earlier this month with the co-operation of hospital consultant Bob Heddle, who said he was alarmed at the situation in the Kent and Canterbury.

During filming, Mr Heddle spoke to 67-year-old Elsie Marshall, who spent three days and two nights in an A&E corridor.

Mrs Marshall, who was a secretary for Kent and Canterbury hospital for 20 years, said "every last bit of dignity drained away" as she waited, adding: "It's awful. I could cry."