Patients have been photographed lined up on gurneys, waiting to be seen in "never-ending" corridor at an A&E department, as pressure continues to mount on the NHS.
Concerned relatives were pictured stood and sat beside their loved ones with arms folded in an exasperated stance as they filled a long hospital corridor.
The images were shared with the Liverpool Echo by a man who was taking his elderly parent to be seen at Aintree hospital in Merseyside, this week.
As he recounted the horrors he witnessed, he described the waits for patients as 'the worst he had ever seen' at an A&E department.
He added: "I have spent a fair amount of time in and out of here with my elderly relatives lately, but I have never seen patients lying on trollies stretching all the way down and into the adjoining corridors, which are part of the main hospital.
"Never mind at capacity, it's gone beyond that and then some.
"While stressful for my elderly parent, I witnessed relatives rushing in a gentleman suffering from the early signs of a stroke only to be met with the response of 'they will have to join the back of the queue' - which was stretching far beyond the never-ending corridors of A&E."
He added that staff at the hospital were 'working miracles' to try and get patients seen.
The NHS continues to face major strain, with reports of severe waiting times at Accident and Emergency departments around the country.
Earlier this month Health Secretary Sajid Javid admitted hospitals were under 'huge pressure' with an influx of patients following the pandemic.
Mr Javid was shown a viral video of a nurse at a hospital in Essex warning a packed waiting room of patients that there were no more ward beds left and urging relatives to leave their loved ones to free up space.
Patients in that waiting room had been told they faced waits of 13 hours to be seen, while one man claimed he was forced to lay on the floor of A&E in Oldham, Manchester, for 10 hours while he struggled to breathe.
Mr Javid said: "Because of the impact of Covid, we know already from our NHS estimates, we think some 11 to 13 million people stayed away from the NHS because of the pandemic.
"Many of those people are coming forward, many of those to A&E, and we’re seeing very high levels of demand. That is a real challenge for the NHS across the system."
In response to the images, Dr Jim Gardner, medical director at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are continuing to experience significant demands on our emergency services.
"This means that on occasion we have a number of patients waiting in our Emergency Department corridor.
“The safety and welfare of these patients is our priority and they are cared for by allocated nurses. However, we know this is not ideal and we are doing everything we can to avoid this.
"People can help us by only coming to our Emergency Departments if they have a serious medical emergency and seeking alternative services for other less urgent concerns.”
Work has now started on a £16 million improvement project at Aintree University Hospital, which is aimed at reducing waiting times in the Emergency Department and delivering better care for patients.
A spokesperson for the Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership, said: "Accident and Emergency Departments continue to experience very high levels of demand across Cheshire and Merseyside, and indeed the country.
“We have recently seen high numbers of ambulance call outs, and people attending A&E themselves. Our medical teams are working hard to ensure people get the treatment they need, as quickly as possible with patients attending A&E always seen in order of clinical priority.
“NHS trusts across Cheshire and Merseyside are working together to make improvements and help us to manage this increased demand with staff focused on providing safe patient care and ensuring those already in hospital beds are discharged quickly when they are well to create space for people who need our urgent attention.
“Our residents can also help us reduce the impact of such demand by remembering that A&E should only be used for major, life-threatening illnesses and injuries.
"Please be aware that many other points of care and assistance are available to people for conditions which are less urgent. Please do make your first contact NHS 111 for advice, your local pharmacy, walk-in centre or your GP in such instances."
