“Corridor nursing” putting patient’s lives at risk

More and more patients are having to be cared for in hospital corridors as a result of overcrowded A&E units, NHS staff have warned.

“Corridor nursing” runs the risk of not only preventing patients from receiving the treatment they need, but it also jeopardises their safety.

In a survey of 1,174 A&E nurses, 73% said that every day they have to care for patients in a “non-designated area”, while an additional 16% said they have to do this at least once a week.

90% of those questioned were fearful that overcrowding in hospitals was threatening patient safety.

Not only does “corridor nursing” undermine a patient’s privacy and dignity, but evidence has found that patients are more likely to die whilst stuck in a corridor.

The overcrowding also has an impact on staff morale, with many having nowhere to admit patients to, leaving them feeling helpless as a result.

Dr Katherine Henderson, the president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, believes that the NHS needs to pause the 20-year-long reduction in the number of hospital beds available.

In the colder months, hospitals continue to be unable to provide a bed to everyone who needs treatment.

Professor Stephen Powis, the national medical director for the NHS, believes that the opinions of nurses from this survey does not accurately reflect the views of nurses in England. He stated that while most A&E units do need to be expanded, this survey exaggerates the overcrowding problem faced by the NHS.

A chartered legal executive in the medical negligence team at Ashtons Legal, comments: “It’s appalling that “corridor nursing” is so common within NHS hospitals. It’s particularly disappointing that despite money being pumped into the NHS, they are still facing such extreme staffing and bed shortages. Something needs to be done to combat this growing problem before we see an increase tragic cases that have stemmed as a result of overcrowding.”