An A&E crisis engulfing two Kent hospital trusts saw an elderly woman with dementia endure a “dehumanising” three-day wait for a bed.

Emergency departments across the county last month reported a record number of patients experiencing delays of 12 hours or more before being admitted to a ward.

Among them was 89-year-old Greta Woolley, who was one of 953 people at Medway Maritime Hospital who faced a so-called “corridor wait” of at least half a day.

But it was at East Kent Hospitals - which runs A&Es in Ashford and Margate - that numbers were highest, with its 1,368 recorded 12-hour waits the fifth highest in England.

The alarming figures reflect the scale of the issue facing both trusts, with Mrs Woolley’s ordeal just a snapshot of the experiences faced by patients.

The retired shop worker from Rainham was taken to A&E at Medway Maritime on January 26 with a chest infection, urine infection and swollen left knee – symptoms that had previously been present when she had sepsis.

But despite doctors deciding she needed to be admitted, she was not given a bed on a ward for 72 hours, instead having to wait on a trolley in a corridor.

Her daughter, 61-year-old Jayne Woolley, says the experience was “hugely distressing and indignifying”.

“I can’t ever remember it being this bad,” she said.

“You’re sat with people who are unable to control their bowels and it is just so dehumanising for everyone.

“A patient next to us was begging their son to come take them home as they found the experience so embarrassing.

“When mum got examined, they were looking at her knee, her leg; she's got a catheter fitted – she was in the corridor, so everyone was looking past, everyone could see.

“There's no dignity, there's no privacy and it’s the same for most families.”

Widow Greta, who has Alzheimer’s disease, was finally admitted to a ward on January 29 and remains in hospital being treated for her infections, acute kidney failure and osteoarthritis in her knee.

Jayne says her mother now has a cubicle to herself, but makeshift beds in the corridors by nurses’ stations continue to be in use.

“Her A&E experience certainly hasn’t helped her,” she said of her mother’s condition.

“She wasn’t able to rest as much as she wanted due to the chaos and noise, disruption and cold.

“They should shut the doors – it can’t go on like this.

“You see it busy on a Saturday with sports injuries and drunk people, but never like this.

“It really is a crisis and the staff are working as hard as they can, but there’s no respite.”

With 2,411 recorded, January marked the third month in a row more than 2,000 A&E patients in Kent were left waiting more than 12 hours for a bed on a ward.

But the county’s two other hospitals trusts - Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells and Dartford and Gravesham - accounted for just 4% of this total.

One of the primary causes of corridor waits is so-called “bed-blocking” - when patients no longer needing treatment are kept in hospital because there is no suitable place for them to go, such as a care home or specially adapted accommodation.

In the last week of November, 3,330 inpatients across Kent - excluding Medway - were considered well enough to be discharged, but just 1,583 were.

The knock-on effect caused huge waits for A&E patients, including Steven Wells, who slept on the floor at the William Harvey during a delay of 45 hours.

South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay has called for changes to the healthcare system, but says throwing more money into the NHS is not the solution.

“Many people are understandably going to A&E because they can’t get a GP appointment, an issue which needs to be teased apart in itself,” said the Conservative.

“Patients who are fundamentally well enough to go home or be moved to community care are remaining in hospital because of delays in securing an appropriate care package.

“This causes delays in admissions and ambulance waiting times as beds are not available.

“More money than ever is going into the NHS, there are more doctors and nurses than ever before and yet waiting times have escalated.

“This means that a different way needs to be found rather than follow the same formula of throwing more money in with the hope of a better outcome.

“We’ve tried that and it is not paying a due dividend.”

The latest A&E figures have been released just weeks after industrial action by junior doctors saw up to 50% of the country’s medical workforce on strike.

NHS leaders warn the impact of the walkouts – the longest in the history of the health service – could last for months.

Rochester and Strood MP Kelly Tolhurst says efforts are being made to address issues facing Medway Maritime, adding that she and her Conservative colleagues continue to campaign for a new hospital for the Towns.

“The winter months every year are a challenge for A&E departments particularly with the strike action we have seen over the Christmas and New Year period,” she said.

“However, Medway Hospital has seen considerably more demand for care and beds, and have reduced their ambulance handover waiting times.

“Extra government funding has been provided to assist with discharges as there can be over 100 patients who are medically fit for discharge at anytime.

“This is why my fellow Medway MPs and I are campaigning for a new hospital and a secondary site for step down care or elective surgery for Medway residents to keep pace with that demand.

“We are currently working with the hospital on plans to provide further care within the community.”

On Mrs Woolley's experience, Sarah Vaux, the interim chief nursing officer for Medway NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We are very sorry that Ms Woolley spent so long in our Emergency Department.

"Our hospital is very busy as we continue to see a high number of patients who need admitting for treatment. Unfortunately this means some patients wait longer than we would like to be admitted to a ward.

"Our staff are working tirelessly to provide the best possible care for patients at this particularly busy time."

A spokesperson for Kent and Medway ICB - which oversees hospital care in the region – said: “Winter is a busy time for the NHS and we are working harder than ever before to make sure patients have the best possible care.

“We have plans in place to improve waiting times and to meet the sustained increase we have seen in the number of people attending A&E. This significant pressure means that, unfortunately, some patients are waiting longer than they should.

“It’s really important people choose the right service for them. Some patients using A&E can be treated elsewhere, such as at one of our urgent treatment centres, where they are likely to be treated sooner.

“If you’re not sure what NHS service you need, use NHS 111 online or by phone or visit www.stopthinkchoose.co.uk for a map of urgent treatment centres and pharmacies.”