01-06-2025
Newport man honoured by King had to sleep on A and E floor
60-year-old Darren Rice spent the night at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport.
Darren is a well-known Newport figure and helps clean up the city's canals through his unique hobby of magnet fishing.
In an emotional post on Facebook Darren wrote: 'I've had about five hours sleep on the floor at the medical assessment unit at the Royal Gwent the staff are over worked they don't deserve the situation.'
Darren Rice 60 with wife Gillian Rice 63 at King Charles III's Garden Party (Image: NQ) Darren was admitted to the hospital on Monday (May 26) to receive treatment for an infected cut after a nail went through his foot.
He wasn't able to receive treatment until Tuesday morning on May 27.
Speaking of the experience Darren said: 'It's not fair on the nurses the amount of people they go above and beyond for is unreal it's the system.
'People are in there for ten to twelve hours just to get through the system.'
Darren's infected cut at A and E in The Royal Hospital (Image: Darren Rice) The Royal Gwent has a minor injuries unit and more serious A&E cases are sent to the Grange Hospital in Cwmbran.
A spokesman for Aneurin Bevan University Health Board said: 'We're very sorry to hear of Mr Rice's experience – this is certainly not the standard of care we aim to provide to our patients.
'Due to high numbers of unwell patients and delays to the flow of patients throughout our hospitals, this unfortunately means that some patients may be offered a chair if there are no hospital beds available.
'This is not an acceptable level of care and we are doing everything we can to improve the flow of patients throughout our hospitals and decrease the delays for urgent and emergency care.
'The Emergency Department extension at The Grange University Hospital, due to be completed later this year, will increase the capacity of the clinical area and provide a new, larger waiting area to improve the comfort and experience of patients who visit.
'We have also recruited additional Emergency Department Doctors to help meet demand and reduce delays, which should, in turn, reduce pressure across the entire urgent care system.
'We wish Mr Rice a speedy recovery and would urge him to contact us directly to discuss any concerns he may have around our services.'
