Councillor's 12 hours in A&E after choking on food

A council leader said he had spent an "unhappy" 12 hours waiting in A&E after choking on chicken on Christmas Eve.

Cotswold District Council leader Joe Harris said the meat had become lodged in his oesophagus as he ate lunch alone, leaving him unable to swallow food or drink.

He is now at home recovering after surgeons removed the blockage at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital on Christmas Day.

A hospital spokesperson said A&E staff were under pressure as the department continued to face "high levels of demand".

Mr Harris said staff had been so busy that he and his parents had to keep reminding them to give him injections throughout the 12 hours he was there.

Mr Harris said he had been alone "wolfing down his lunch" in a rush to leave the Cotswolds to visit his partner's family before he started choking.

He went to Cirencester Hospital but was told to go to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital in Gloucester.

"It's really scary on Christmas Eve," he said. "We've read about the pressures on A&E.

"It was absolutely scary the amount of people [in A&E] and the strain the staff are under there.

"I don't doubt they want to do a good job but when you're that stretched, thin on staff and [there are] loads of people in a waiting room, it was really scary."

He said surgeons had stuck a camera down his throat while he was under general anaesthetic after unsuccessfully trying to loosen the chicken from his throat.

He said: "I can't fault the surgeons and clinicians - they were absolutely brilliant.

"Despite it being a miserable Christmas Day, they were really good and made me feel at ease."

He said there had been "quite a few drunk people" in A&E on Christmas Eve which had added to demand on NHS staff.

Prof Mark Pietroni, medical director at the hospital, said: "We would like to apologise to Councillor Joe Harris for the length of time he spent at our A&E department on Christmas Eve and wish him well for a swift recovery.

"The pressures that colleagues are working under in our A&Es, and up and down the country, at the moment are very challenging and we are very grateful to staff for delivering high quality care under these pressures.

"It is a real credit to the professionalism and dedication of our staff."

He added: "Our A&Es continue to experience high levels of demand and we are asking the public only to attend if their condition is serious or life-threatening."

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