Retired Scots policeman 'left to lie on hospital floor in excruciating pain for five hours'

A retired police officer was forced to lie on the floor of an A&E ward for more than five hours in "excruciating pain" as Scotland's NHS struggles to meet soaring demand this winter.The distressed daughter of the 65-year-old today hit out at the SNP Government and claimed it "couldn't run a bath" after she was forced to watch her dad lie in agony.

Robert, from Cleland in North Lanarkshire, was taken to Wishaw University Hospital over the Christmas season after suffering from crippling abdominal pain.But he was forced to lie on the floor for five-and-a-half hours before he was eventually offered painkillers, which nurses blamed on a lack of beds.Robert’s daughter said: “My dad gave his all for others in his career, now I am genuinely scared the next time something happens he won’t make it through because of the mess the SNP have allowed the NHS to get into.“The SNP couldn’t run a bath, let alone the NHS.”His case was raised by Anas Sarwar at First Minister's Questions today as an example of how many patients are being forced to endure prolonged waiting times in A&E wards across the country.The Scottish Labour leader told MSPs: "Our staff deserve praise, but they are being failed by this SNP Government.

And it's people across Scotland that are living the consequences of SNP failure."Take the example of Robert, a retired policeman from Lanarkshire.

He had to attend A&E at Wishaw over Christmas due to crippling abdominal pain. Due to a lack of beds, he was forced to lie on the floor in excruciating pain for five-and-a-half hours before he was eventually given morphine and Oxycodone. "A nurse told the family it could be worse - one patient had been waiting 50 hours for a bed."Sarwar continued: "Under John Swinney's watch,