Patients dying in hospital corridors, say nurses


The Royal College of Nursing has reported that the UK’s hospitals are struggling with the recent influx of flu patients. Overwhelmed hospitals have turned cupboard and car parks into makeshift areas for patients. Not only have patients been left in corridors, and in some cases have died there, but also pregnant women have been known to miscarry in side rooms. Nurses’ warnings revealed how these makeshift areas put patients at serious risk, as it was becoming increasingly challenging for staff to access vital equipment such as oxygen, heart monitors, and suction equipment, plus extra time and room to perform CPR is often restricted too.

The increased demand has resulted in more than 20 NHS trusts declaring “critical incidents” over the past week. The RCN claims that corridor care was becoming standardised across the whole of the UK. They have warned that without a change in procedures, there will be a significant hindrance in reaching the government’s key priority in England of reducing the waiting time for non-urgent care. The RCN has since published more than 400 pages of testimonies by their nursing staff to highlight the extent of the problems in place.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has laid the blame on the previous government. In a statement to the House of Commons, he claimed: “It is unsafe, undignified, a cruel consequence of 14 years of failure on the NHS and I am determined to consign it to the history books.” Royal College of Nursing general secretary, Prof. Nicola Ranger called for increased investment and warned that without it the winter pressures being experienced would continue to overwhelm hospitals. Nurses have pointed out an array of problems through their testimonies, including one case where a 90-year-old patient with respiratory problems and dementia was left in a corridor for eight hours, with medical staff unable to provide her with appropriate end-of-life care.

Last week, Chris McCann of Healthwatch England said the devastating stories painted by nurses echo the ones they had received from patients. People are witnessing stressed, overstretched staff trying their best to cope with the extreme pressures they are currently working under. NHS England Chief Nursing Officer Duncan Burton stated that “Increasing demand has put extreme pressure on the health service over recent months, and described this winter as “one of the toughest the NHS has experienced”. The impact on the experiences of patients and staff should never be considered the standard to which the NHS aspires.”

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