An elderly man lies on the floor of an under-pressure A&E waiting room in a picture which has sparked fears of another crisis this winter.

The photograph was taken by Canterbury mum Kate Rainbird, who spent hours in the cramped department at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford.

Thousands more patients from the city have been forced to travel to Ashford and the QEQM in Margate since emergency provision at the Kent and Canterbury was scaled back last year.

Just last month 3,720 patients - more than 100 every day - were forced to wait more than four hours in east Kent’s two A&Es.

Miss Rainbird, who went to the William Harvey due to bleeding complications following childbirth eight weeks earlier, fears it is a sign another seasonal crisis could be on the cards.

The 25-year-old claims one nurse told her: “If you think it’s bad now, come and have a look in the winter.”

The Stonebridge Road resident, who had to take her newborn born child Summer with her to the hospital, said: “There were people asleep on the floor with nobody checking on them.

“There were just so many people. More kept coming in but there was nowhere to sit so people were standing for hours.

“I was given no appropriate area to breastfeed and had no choice but to do it in a room full of people - I was shocked by it all.”

Before heading to the William Harvey, Miss Rainbird went to QEQM’s A&E but decided against staying due to the number of people already waiting, and opted to head for Ashford.

She added: “The staff are losing their minds. They can’t cope with all the people. I’m heartbroken by what’s happening”

Last winter, the east Kent hospitals trust suspended all pre-planned surgeries in Ashford and Margate for four months due to the increased strain.

Peggy Pryer, who campaigns for Concern for Health in East Kent, fears A&Es will be pushed to breaking point again this winter. The crisis never really went away but it gets worse in the winter,” she said. “We know there is more money being thrown around in the hope for it to stop that but it’s dreadful."

“It’s an endless circle at the moment and it seems it’s going to be just as bad this winter. We’re getting increasingly concerned about healthcare in east Kent.”

Earlier this month, it was announced East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust has secured £6.4m in national funding for new observation wards at its emergency departments at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate.

Spokesman Sarah Landers said: “We are reminding people to get to know their local health services so they can use services wisely. We're asking people to use health services appropriately and reserve A&E for emergencies and life-threatening conditions.

"We take patient safety, and the overall quality of care we provide our patients, extremely seriously.

“Because the most critically ill patients are seen first some people wait longer in our emergency departments before being admitted to a ward or discharged. During this time patients continue to be seen by medical staff, investigations carried out and treatment given."