These are the latest ECHO headlines this morning.
Nan, 90, left on hospital corridor for 40 hours in brutal symbol of NHS pressure
A 90-year-old woman who had suffered a head injury was left waiting in a hospital corridor for nearly 40 hours in another brutal sign of the huge pressure on the National Health Service.
The woman, who had suffered a fall and banged her head at the sheltered accommodation home she lives in, had been taken to Whiston Hospital, with her daughter travelling with her.
The fall, which occurred on a Saturday morning in late April, had caused the elderly lady to bleed profusely from her head, partly because she takes blood thinners to deal with other health conditions.
READ MORE: Patients on trolleys line entire A&E corridor as pressure on NHS mounts
Her daughter, who asked that she and her mother remain anonymous, said: "The two ambulance men gave all the details of what had happened to the hospital staff and I thought they would go – but they stayed. Apparently they couldn’t hand mum over to the hospital as there wasn’t any space to get her into the A&E department.
"We were in a corridor with lots of other people on stretchers – mainly elderly people. I went off down a corridor into another department to find a chair as I have got health issues myself and really needed to sit down. In front of us was another elderly patient, the ambulance staff with that person offered to stay with mum so the crew with mum could leave – we had been there almost an hour at that point."
Read the full story here.
Grandad struggles to recognise daughters after being attacked outside pub
A pensioner was placed in intensive care and suffered life-changing injuries after being attacked outside a pub.
Denis Cunliffe was left with a bleed on the brain after being punched outside the Sefton in St Helens town centre before falling and hitting his head on the floor. Josh Hoskison, 25, dished out the unprovoked attack after rowing with his girlfriend and brawling with another stranger who had attempted to intervene.
Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday, Wednesday, that the incident unfolded in the early hours of September 1 last year. At around 1.15am, a passerby encountered the couple engaged in a heated argument near to the Baldwin Street establishment.
READ MORE: Bus driver, 73, who ran over and killed nan walks free from court
He was described as acting as a peacemaker during the altercation. But Hoskison, who was on crutches at the time of the incident, told him to "f*** off", threw these walking aids to the ground and ran at the man.
The enraged mechanical engineer shouted "I'll gouge your f***ing eyes out" before the pair wrestled on the floor.
They eventually separated, but Hoskison then punched Mr Cunliffe - who fell backwards and "cracked his head". His assailant attempted to help him to his feet before realising that he had been knocked unconscious and "became completely different".
Read more here.
Major Kirkby route to close for five weeks as station works go on
A major route into Kirkby will shut for five weeks as work continues on a new £80m train station.
Knowsley Council has confirmed County Road will be closed to vehicles from Saturday July 23 until Tuesday August 30 to allow Network Rail to undertake further work on the £80m Headbolt Lane station project. The rail operator needs to close County Road between the junction with St Kevins Drive and the junction of Boyes Brow/Headbolt Lane to replace the existing bridge over County Road.
This will enable the installation of an additional railway track approaching the new station. Work previously began on the construction of a new station at Headbolt Lane in Kirkby as part of Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram's plan to deliver a London-style transport system for the city region. It is expected to open to the public in 2023.
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The new station will extend the Merseyrail network, which currently terminates at Kirkby, to a new location off Headbolt Lane. Access under the railway bridge via the parallel County Road service road will be maintained for cyclists and pedestrians at all times.
Signed diversions will be in place for road users. In advance of the closure and throughout the works, electronic road signs will also be in place to alert motorists at key approaches to County Road. Work will take place throughout the day and overnight.
The local authority has warned “some elements of the work will be noisy but the noisiest elements of the work will take place during the day. Some of the work close to the track will need to take place at night.”
Read more here.
