The dangers of overcrowding in the A&E department

Philomena Whitehouse was suffering from severe chest pains when she was forced to spend the night on a wheelchair in Dublin’s Beaumont Hospital.

She had gone to the hospital’s busy accident and emergency department at around 7pm on Monday after seeing her GP.

In the morning, Philomena moved to a chair in the waiting area just outside the A&E, where she tried to doze for a bit. Her daughter, Donna, was with her.