The mother-in-law of a Labour MSP had to wait for eight hours on a hospital trolley before being found a bed, it has been claimed.
The 77-year-old mother-in-law of Michael McMahon was sent to Monklands Hospital in Lanarkshire on Monday after an appointment for a heart murmur.
Labour said her experience showed the Scottish Government was failing to get to grips with a winter crisis.
The hospital recorded its highest level of emergency admissions ever on Monday.
Mr McMahon said his mother-in-law was not given a bed until midnight as "overwhelmed" staff struggled to cope.
The MSP for Hamilton and Bellshill said: "My impression was that the staff at Monklands Hospital were totally overwhelmed through no fault of their own.
"The A&E department was struggling to cope with the high number of patients, many with respiratory problems.
"I was disappointed for the staff that were clearly harassed and coming under increasing pressure from frustrated and upset patients."
"We have a comprehensive winter plan in place which includes a significant number of extra measures including extra inpatient beds and staff to cope with the winter pressures"
Labour health spokeswoman Cathy Jamieson said: "I warned the Scottish Government that they had left the NHS more exposed to a winter crisis than at any time in the past decade."
NHS Lanarkshire acknowledged that the number of emergency medical admissions at Monklands hospital on Monday was "exceptional".
There were 76 emergency medical admissions, which is approximately twice the daily average.
Admissions included high numbers of acutely ill elderly patients with respiratory conditions and a high number of patients with fractures resulting from the frosty weather.
Dr Barry Vallance, associate medical director for NHS Lanarkshire, said: "We anticipated that the hospitals would be busy yesterday as previous experience has shown that attendance at A&E increases immediately following the festive period.
"We have a comprehensive winter plan in place which includes a significant number of extra measures including extra inpatient beds and staff to cope with the winter pressures.
He added: "We have not cancelled any elective procedures and all urgent and cancer inpatient procedures have proceeded as planned.
"The three acute hospitals continue to receive urgent emergency admissions at all times."
A spokesperson for Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: "If the Labour Party had had its way then this New Year the accident and emergency facility at Monklands Hospital would be closing - it was only the election of an SNP Government that halted Labour's scheme to scrap A&E at Monklands.
"Labour would have betrayed the NHS and the people of Lanarkshire but the SNP Government acted decisively to save the facility and to keep three A&E hospitals in Lanarkshire."
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