A mum claims she had to wait eight hours for her daughter to be seen by a doctor at a hospital where children were seen queuing in the corridors.
The parent, who asked to remain anonymous, said there were no spaces left in the designated waiting area or beds available at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children for the sick youngsters and their guardians.
The hospital trust has apologised for the waiting times and said its staff are seeing "exceptional" demand.
But the 40-year-old mum, who visited on Monday at around 9am, told Bristol Live of her concerns for the hospital.
"It was absolutely horrendous when I walked through the hospital building," the mother, from Easton, Bristol, said.
"There were lots of newborn babies, vulnerable children in wheelchairs just piled up in the corridors. They’ve not got enough beds or staff to deal with it.
"It was shocking - I've never seen it that busy and apparently it has been like that for the last few weeks. There’s a real crisis going on.
"I think they [hospital] need to have something on social media to say we are [full] and only come if it's a dire emergency. It's a long time for a child to be waiting when they are poorly and crammed with a lot of other sick children."
The hospital, which is in Bristol city centre, said it is seeing high numbers of children with "winter viral respiratory conditions" at the moment.
A spokesperson for University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust said: "Like many other children's hospitals up and down the country we are extremely busy at the moment, seeing exceptionally high numbers of babies and children with winter viral respiratory conditions.
"We apologise to our patients, parents and carers who may be experiencing longer waits than normal. Every child who comes into our A&E is triaged and assessed and those with the highest clinical need are seen first."
The hospital advises that only one parent or carer should come to A&E if it is an emergency, adding: "Parents and carers who are concerned about their child should seek help first by contacting NHS 111 online at 111.nhs.uk or by phone on 111, contacting your local GP, or downloading the HANDi App which offers specialist paediatric advice for parents."
The hospital concluded by thanking all of its paediatric teams across the Children’s Hospital and Emergency Department, "all of whom are dedicated to delivering high-quality care" despite the pressures.
