Medics warn ‘corridor nursing’ becoming the norm in crammed A&E departments

Health professionals say ‘corridor nursing’ is becoming increasingly prevalent as accident and emergency departments are becoming too full to look after the number of patients seeking treatment.

In a recent poll of 1,174 emergency nurses in the Royal College of Nursing’s (RCN) Emergency Care Association, 73 per cent of those surveyed said they cared for patients in a ‘non-designated area’ such as corridors on a daily basis and a further 16 per cent said they did so at least once a week. 90 per cent said they feared patient safety was being put at risk in having to spend time in areas of hospitals not equipped with medical supplies or call bells.

President of the RCN, Dr Katherine Henderson, said “We fully recognise these findings from our nursing colleagues. It is shameful that corridor care has become the norm and this survey reflects the reality emergency department staff experience on a daily basis.

“Corridor care is terrible for patients and demoralising for staff, who through no fault of their own have nowhere to admit patients to.”

Mike Adams, RCN’s director for England, said “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.”

Professor Stephen Powis, national medical director for the NHS, 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.”
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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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