A poorly nine-month-old baby had to wait six hours in an overcrowded children's unit before she was treated by doctors after being rushed to A&E.
Mum Louise Webb said she feared for her daughter Lily Noden who had become so dehydrated she had to force water into her mouth with a syringe.
The 23-year-old and her partner Thomas Noden, 24, rushed their only child to Countess of Chester Hospital after calling the NHS helpline when the tot refused to eat or drink.
After being seen by a triage nurse the distraught parents and their sickly daughter were forced to wait a further five-and-a-half hours before a children's doctor was available.
Ms Webb said: "It's a disgrace.
It's not the doctors and nurses fault they are trying to save lives but there is just not enough funding.
"The Tories aren't doing something right.
"Will it take a child to die before someone stand up and takes notice that the NHS needs more cash."
The family's ordeal unfolded on Wednesday night after they sought help from the hospital, which is a 10 minute taxi ride from their home in Chester.
"Lily was on antibiotics for an ear infection but was refusing to eat or drink, Ms Webb said.
"We noticed the soft spot on the top of her head had sunken in which is a sign of dehydration so sought medical help."
After being told to take Lily to A&E, the full-time mum and her partner, who works as a laboratory assistant, felt a misguided sense of relief when they arrived to find the unit literally empty.
Ms Webb said "We walked in and I thought it was very quiet. Lily was seen by a triage nurse in 15 minutes so I expected her to be seen very carefully."
But when the family were sent to the children's emergency department the horror unfolded.
Ms Webb said: "It was absolutely packed. We spoke to other parents and at that point they had been there for four hours and more.
"There was just one nurse there who was a student nurse and you can see she was trying her best.
"I felt desperately sorry for her as apparently the doctors were too busy in the main A&E unit so we were told there would be a wait.
"We just didn't expected it to be six hours.
"There's something really wrong with the government to let the NHS get like this."
In a further worrying twist, Ms Webb says children were being seen in the order they arrived at the unit rather than what condition they were in.
"Lily is only nine-months old so she can't say 'mummy my tummy hurts, or mummy my head hurts' unlike a lot of the children who were older.
"The student nurse kept trying to reassure us by saying Lilly was being prioritise but it just didn't happen.
"They didn't do any observation tests until we had been there for four hours and her health could have dramatically deteriorated and we wouldn't have known.
"The doctor that finally came to treat Lily was a general A&E one so in the end we had to wait another hour so she could be seen by a paediatric.
"No one should have to wait that long to be seen by a doctor and as a parent I am severely worried.
"Would my daughter have to be floppy and limp before something is done?"
After Lily was checked by a paediatrician the worried parents were given the choice of waiting a few more hours for their baby to be admitted once a children's bed was free or to take her home with medication.
Ms Webb said: "We decided to take her home where we can take care of her around the clock but they gave us a letter that we could show if we needed to rush her back to hospital. If I showed the letter Lily would be admitted immediately with no need to see an A&E doctor.
"I fear for the NHS. While we were waiting for Lily to be seen I noticed to elderly women waiting in wheelchairs in the hospital corridor. When we left they were still there - sitting in their wheelchairs.
"Having to go through an experience like this had really opened by eyes to the sorry state the NHS is in.
"Something must be done. We shouldn't have to wait for someone to die first."
Mirror Online has contacted Countess of Chester NHS Foundation Trust for a comment but they have failed to return our calls.
