Thread by @PaulBrandITV

EXCL: This is the NHS as you’ve never seen it.

19 patients crammed on trolleys in corridors unable to get into a full A&E.

92 year-old May has been stuck on hers for 3 days.

Outside, ambulances queue, delayed getting to other calls.

Patients have died waiting. #ITVTonight

We were granted unprecedented access to the crisis in our health service for @ITVTonight, as record demand at A&E leads to record ambulance delays.

NW Ambulance and Warrington Hospital were v transparent in showing us the pressure they are under to try and explain the problems.

Hospital/ambulance staff told us this is the worst they’ve ever known it. Pressure once experienced during a bad winter crisis is now normal pressure in June/July.

85% of ambulance staff say delays are damaging patient health, 35% believe they’re causing deaths (@GMB_union).

Admissions at A&E are up 10% on last year. Nobody can say for sure why, but likely that missed treatments during Covid plus the huge backlog of patients deteriorating on long waiting lists is playing a part.

The chaos at the hospital front door is also caused by backlogs all the way to the back door.

At Warrington Hospital 136 patients were happily ready to be discharged from the wards on the day we visited. But severe shortages of social care mean some wait 6 weeks or more.

Some staff were in tears when we visited. They were embarrassed by the state of A&E despite many extending their shifts overnight to try and clear the backlog. Their dedication was noted by every patient we spoke to. But staff feel something has to change - this is unsustainable.

This is particularly vital viewing at a time when there is virtually no mention of the NHS in the contest to be the next Prime Minister. Rather than investment in public services, the debate is about tax cuts. Suspect this footage may well spark a new conversation.

Huge thanks to @NWAmbulance and @NHS_Warrington who helped us see and understand the pressure. What’s happening there is happening almost everywhere. They’ve had the candour to show you what’s going on.

More here: itv.com/news/2022-07-2…

Reacting tonight @AngelaRayner told us what we witnessed was “unforgivable”.

Candidate to be the next PM @trussliz says she is “appalled”.

But what is going to be done?

Despite calling the situation "absolutely appalling", Liz Truss insists cutting taxes will boost growth and therefore provide more funding for public services like the NHS.

Not sure that's an immediate solution. Is this leadership campaign going to discuss it?

Watch May's desperation in the video above and imagine her being told on that trolley that all she has to do is wait for economic growth. It does feel as though the NHS crisis has been forgotten in this contest.

I’ll have more on this at 7pm and 10pm this evening on @itvnews.

The full documentary, Tonight: 999 - A National Emegency? airs tomorrow at 8:30pm on ITV.

So many NHS staff getting in touch this evening. Thank you again to doctors, nurses and other staff at Warrington Hospital and North West Ambulance Trust. It was a bold move to let us in and tell your story.