As Zoe Williams has written, she was profoundly traumatized by her experiences in London’s hospitals over the course of 2025. Her mother was detained for several weeks in admissions around south and west London – where the conditions were horrifying. Williams said the atmosphere was a bit of a circus. He added that in any six bed, single sex ward at least four patients are affected by dementia. Most of these people did not have the ability to realize what was happening to them, from their post-surgical infections or from confusion and disorientation.
Things got serious when Williams’ own son faced a medical crisis. He was admitted to a male-only ward in central London on account of a recently diagnosed pneumothorax. In this ward, they put him next to a patient who needed a mental health hold. Her death brought to public attention the dangerous crisis afflicting the NHS hospital system. The lack of funding has only exacerbated the crisis. This has created unsustainable conditions to care for all patients, particularly those in vulnerable communities.
Account from individual wards present a gruesome picture. Patients were seen in distressing conditions: one woman was placed in handcuffs, while another man vomited for eleven hours straight. Others prostrated themselves on the ground. One man who exposed his internal organs was driven to do so after not receiving adequate medical attention. Scenes like this one are enough to alarm anyone with a tad empathy for the plight of our healthcare system.
Williams told us that no NHS hospital in the entire UK could sustain having a separate trans-only wing. This points to a huge opportunity within the healthcare sector. This lack of dedicated facilities has added urgency to the calls for accountability regarding the treatment of trans people in hospital settings. The debate has become increasingly charged, influenced by what Williams describes as the “relentless demonisation of trans people.” This culture has led to a situation where the most basic decisions about patient care are almost impossible to make.
The language surrounding these discussions recalls some of the darkest days of prejudice and hatred, as highlighted by Emma Barnett’s probing question:
“Do you think it’s right for trans people to be segregated from other patients, as an interim measure, or for the future?” – Emma Barnett
While healthcare professionals and policymakers continue to navigate these difficult questions, the NHS is already suffering from unprecedented stress. Our long-term case for reform and to improve funding has never been clearer. Williams and other storytellers vividly paint the picture of hospitals on the brink. They expose the real, everyday battles that patients and their families are still fighting today.