A COUNCILLOR left waiting in a hospital corridor for hours, was told 'there are no beds'.

Christchurch councillor, Colin Jamieson, who had heart surgery last year, spent most of Thursday morning and afternoon waiting for a bed at Royal Bournemouth Hospital and Poole General Hospital.

He was told his condition was serious enough to keep him in until Saturday, but he was left in discomfort without a bed until Thursday afternoon.

Such was his frustration, he tweeted a picture of himself, saying: "Seven hours waiting at Bournemouth and six at Poole hospitals for a bed. This is not acceptable."

Speaking to the Daily Echo from the corridor of the hospital, Cllr Jamieson said he contacted 111, the NHS non-emergency number, around midnight, when he suffered a nose bleed.

The bleed was exacerbated by the blood thinning drugs he is on following his surgery.

The service advised him to go to Royal Bournemouth Hospital, where he was put on a minor injuries ward for six hours.

He was then sent to Poole General Hospital, where rather than going to accident and emergency, he was sent to a ward, but left to sit in a corridor.

"I understand it's not the fault of the staff. Everyone is very apologetic.

"The staff and doctors are just as frustrated as I am. They're chasing around, but it's a capacity issue.

"I'm in discomfort but there doesn't seem to be anything I or anyone else can do."

Tracey Nutter, director of nursing at Poole, said: “In common with many other hospitals, Poole Hospital is experiencing a significant increase in demand, together with challenges in discharging patients who are clinically well enough to leave.

“Regrettably, this means that some patients are waiting longer than usual to be admitted to a ward, particularly those who require a bed in a specialist clinical area where the number of beds may be more limited."

She said patients continue to receive care and monitoring, with the most urgent placed on a ward first, adding: "We apologise for any inconvenience these delays may cause."

Richard Renaut, chief operating officer at the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: "We understand that waiting in ED for an inpatient bed is frustrating and we are sorry for the delay.

"Now that winter has arrived the hospital is facing increased emergency admissions.

"We are working with partner organisations such as local social services to try and help discharge patients who no longer require acute care in a bid to free up space.”