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These photos show 20 ambulance crews waiting in line to hand over their patients to frantic A&E staff.

Taken inside Aintree Hospital in Liverpool on a week night, they show the huge pressures faced by hard-working NHS staff to keep the health service afloat.

Dementia sufferer Albert Hooley, a 92-year-old Second World War veteran, was among those left waiting on a trolley as A&E workers battled to deal with the huge influx.

His granddaughter Emma Satchell shared these photos to raise awareness of the plight of the NHS.

Mr Hooley who served aboard HMS Tartar in the 1940s and was made a citizen of honour by Liverpool council in 2014, suffers from Alzheimer’s. He was rushed to hospital following trouble with his heart and pacemaker and is now recovering at home.

(Image: Liverpool Echo/Emma Satchell)

(Image: Liverpool Echo)

(Image: Liverpool Echo/Emma Satchell)

Emma said: “I witnessed first hand how the government cuts are crippling our NHS.

“My grandad was taken in by ambulance at 10pm with suspected problems with his heart and pacemaker.

“When I got there he was in a queue on a stretcher in the corridor accompanied by the paramedics who brought him in.

“At this point there were 20 paramedics and technicians standing in a corridor with their patients waiting to be seen.

“At 1am he was seen for the first time by a doctor – still in the corridor with no dignity whatsoever.”

She added: “The delays, due to lack of beds, had a massive impact on emergency calls as the paramedics are unable to hand over the patient until a bed becomes available, yet the Government continue to enforce their cuts on the emergency services.

“I have nothing but praise for the dedicated and over-stretched staff of the NHS and ambulance service who face these battles on a daily basis.”

(Image: Liverpool Echo/Emma Satchell)

An Aintree Hospital spokesman said the photos were taken on a “very busy” night and thanked patients for their understanding.

He added: “Our A&E department is for life-threatening emergencies and all patients are seen according to clinical need and the seriousness of their condition, which can take time.”

Aintree dealt with 84.5% of its A&E patients within four hours in September –behind the NHS’s 95% target in England.

A Department of Health spokesman said: “No patient should have to wait unnecessarily before being admitted to hospital and across the country, hard-working NHS staff are making sure patients get a high standard of care despite record levels of demand.

“We are committed to delivering a safer seven-day NHS, which is why we have invested £10bn to fund the NHS’s own plan to transform services in the future.”