NHS Hospital: What it's really like working in A&E
"Relentless", with a "huge workload" and feeling "I can't give the care I should" - NHS emergency department staff have been describing the daily pressures of their work.
The BBC filmed at Colchester General, hearing frustrations typical of hospitals around the country struggling as short resources are stretched further by winter weather.
"You can't even get a parking space let alone a bed," said one nurse, while a doctor described his job as "exhausting" but said he still wakes up happy every day.
The hospital says they’ve made changes to the way they work, but admit staff are tired and still feel the pressure.
In a statement, NHS national medical director Prof Stephen Powis said that despite an early flu surge, winter vomiting bugs and a record need for care, NHS staff have "pulled out all the stops to deliver high quality care to millions of people this winter".
Video by BBC Health Reporter Laura Foster