AT one of the best hospitals in the country mothers were seen sitting on the floor with their babies, elderly patients queuing in the corridor and enough beds for a third of patients waiting.
A BBC documentary, where crews were given access to the A&E at Royal Blackburn hospital in Lancashire, found last week 95 seriously ill patients were waiting to be seen, but only 33 beds available.
Doctors there say they are "taking too many risks" when they are forced to send patients home early.
This latest access to one of the top performing hospitals in the UK highlights issues nurses at this hospital call "dangerous" and "frightening".
The footage was taken last Sunday and Monday, after the BBC was given access to the hospital by chief executive Kevin McGee.
One doctor seemed to be near to resigning at one point, while another was filmed asking the government to take action.
Staff there recounted their experiences of the current state of the healthcare system.
Dr Helen Turner, a consultant, said she had gone home one night at 11pm having referred a patient to be admitted on to a ward, only to find him still waiting 12 hours later.
She said: "It was upsetting because you know it's not the care that you would want your own family to receive."
On Sunday night, a computer screen telling patients the average waiting time was recorded reading 13hrs 52mins.
The Royal Blackburn is run by East Lancashire NHS Trust and has struggled with demand after Chorley hospital's A&E nearby was downgraded due to a shortage of doctors.
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It is one of 40 per cent of hospitals in the UK to be rated 'good' by the Care Quality Commission, but the documentary shows a busy winter period has left the Blackburn's resources stretched.
The current conditions on wards and in A&E's have been blamed on a lack of social care funding, after elderly patients become trapped in hospital as adequate home care is unable to be found for them quickly.
This leads to a shortage of beds and to staff becoming stressed as they say "we're coming in every night worrying about what's coming in".
Dr Khalid Haq, one of Blackburn's consultants in emergency medicine, said in his 26-year career he had never known a department to be so busy.
He said: "The problem is we are taking too many risks now. We are sending home patients we shouldn't be sending.
"We've got nowhere to put them.
"It's dangerous. We need more staff and we need more space.
"There will be patients here from six to eight hours and we can't find a bed for them."
Former health minister, Lib Dem MP Norman Lamb, has said of the situation: "There is now an avalanche of bad news showing hospitals across the country, are struggling to cope."
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has urged people to avoid A&E if they are not seriously ill.
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