A 79-year-old York woman who was rushed into hospital by ambulance with a blood clot says overworked hospital staff desperately need more support and resources.

The woman, who would give her name only as Barbara, said the care she was given was excellent.

But she added: "They (hospital staff) are nearly on their knees. They are just really, really struggling to cope. They look exhausted.

"I have been to York Hospital many times on and off. But this time I felt so sorry for the way they were exhausting themselves."

Barbara, who has made a good recovery, said she was rushed into hospital on November 9 at 11am.

Because of a shortage of beds on wards, she said, she remained in A&E - on a trolley part of the time - until 2am the following morning.

"The staff are just completely rushed off their feet," she said.

Barbara said medical staff wanted to send her to a cardiac ward. "But it was so choc-a-bloc they couldn't."

Instead she was sent to a five-bed bay in the acute medical unit on Ward 22, where patients are sent from A&E while they wait to be assessed, admitted or discharged.

Barbara was eventually discharged after five days, on Monday, November 14.

She was supposed to have a visit from a physiotherapist before leaving - but in the end was discharged without a visit. "They were so desperate for a bed," she said.

Barbara says she spoke out because she felt hospital staff need more support, recognition and understanding.

She said some patients complained because they were not dealt with immediately when they rang for help or attention.

"But imagine what it's like when you've got a 30 bed ward to look after," she said. "The staff should be given more appreciation.

"They did a good job on me. But I feel so sorry for the staff - they are not getting enough support.

"I agree that the nurses should go on strike.They are so overwhelmed. The government should be doing more to help them."

A York Hospital spokesperson said: “We are pleased to hear (Barbara) has made a good recovery and has been so appreciative of our staff at York Hospital.

"Operational pressures are being felt across the entire system and our hospitals are no exception. This has an impact on our emergency departments and means some patients will have to wait a long time before they are admitted to a ward, and we are sorry for this.

“Patient safety remains our priority and we would like to thank all our staff for their continued hard work and commitment under sustained pressure during this challenging time.”

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt pledged in his autumn statement that the NHS budget would increase in each of the next two years by an extra £3.3 billion.

But York Central's Labour MP Rachael Maskell said that was only a 2.4 per cent increase - at a time when inflation was running at more than 11 per cent. "So it amounts to a real terms cut," she said.

"Health service staff are absolutely on their knees."