IN the midst of all the statistics, the targets, and the league tables surrounding the NHS, there are real people: doctors and nurses trying to cope with ever-increasing demands; patients experiencing the consequences of a service which is at breaking point; and families enduring the stress of seeing loved ones left waiting for ambulances or accident and emergency beds.

Tomorrow's edition of The Northern Echo (Wednesday) aims to be comprehensive and fair in its coverage of a mounting A&E crisis in the North-East. We have tried to examine the issue from all sides.

But it is the story of 88-year-old Jenny Knowles which puts a human face to the challenges facing the NHS as we head towards a general election in 2015.

Mrs Knowles, who suffers from dementia, had fallen at her care home, breaking her nose and cutting her head. Official records will no doubt have logged her injuries as relatively minor, as indeed they were. But, for an 88-year-old confused woman, in the middle of the night, it amounted to a distressing ordeal.

Her treatment, from the initial 999 call at 12.05pm to her finally being seen at 7.15am, is disturbing. Her experience – her real life, human experience – was one of lengthy delays, a lack of communication, and inadequate care resulting from NHS staff not having the time to deal with her.

We have told Jenny Knowles story to illustrate the extent of the challenges facing our hospitals – not to apportion blame. Indeed, we see the doctors and nurses who are striving under huge pressure as victims too.

As we said yesterday, how the political parties plan to deal with the human consequences of a health service in crisis is a key question as the election approaches.