Treating A&E patients in corridors becoming the new norm
Written by News on 26/02/2020
Treating A&E patients in hospital corridors is becoming the new norm, according to nurses.
Nine out of 10 nurses say that safety is being compromised because accident and emergency departments are being put under “intolerable pressure”.
The poll comes from the Royal College of Nursing, which found that 73% of nurses care for patients in a non-designated area, such as a corridor, on a daily basis.
The problem is so widespread that almost half of those polled said the term “corridor nursing” is formally used in their hospital.
Also, 90% of respondents said they are caring for more patients in non-clinical areas than they did last winter.
The risks include extra strain on patients and increased difficulty performing certain medical tasks.
Mike Adams, the RCN’s director for England, said: “This survey shows that having to deliver care in crowded corridors is becoming increasingly the norm for NHS nursing staff.
“Highly complex procedures such as insertion of intravenous lines and medication should not have to be carried out in conditions like these, while it is completely unacceptable that patients’ privacy and dignity are being undermined by lack of access to toilet facilities while they’re stuck in corridors.
“The reasons for the increased pressure on A&E departments are many and well-known – too few staff, not enough beds to admit patients to, and a lack of social care affecting hospitals’ ability to discharge patients quickly enough.
“But as a result, nurses in emergency departments are being put under intolerable pressure to keep patients safe.”
Labour’s shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: “These are shocking findings revealing the scale of pressure nurses are working under after years of austerity and bed cuts in the NHS.”
Professor Stephen Powis, NHS England’s national medical director, said: “This self-selecting survey does not give a reliable representation of nurses’ views, but it is correct to say that while the NHS has more beds open this winter than last, our A&Es have had to treat more than a million extra patients over the past year.
“So as well as 50,000 more nurses and extra hospital beds, over the next few years it’s also going to be necessary to rebuild and expand most A&E departments across England.”
(c) Sky News 2020: Treating A&E patients in corridors becoming the new norm
