Almost 20% of patients in England’s Accident and Emergency departments during the summer were receiving care on trolleys or chairs, according to a new survey released today. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine conducted the research, denouncing the practice of providing care in corridors as a matter of national disgrace and posing a significant risk to lives. The survey, which captured a snapshot of the situation from clinical leads in A&Es, highlighted the immense pressure faced by the NHS, with 19% of patients treated on trolleys or chairs in corridors and 34% cared for in ambulances outside the departments.
Furthermore, 78% of respondents expressed concerns that patients were at risk of harm due to the compromised quality of care under such conditions. A patient shared their experience with corridor care, expressing a loss of confidence in seeking emergency care due to feeling forgotten and vulnerable while waiting in a corridor. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine presented the findings to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Emergency Care, where public polling revealed that 58% of individuals lacked confidence in the timeliness of care in A&Es.
This report follows a previous study by Age UK, which revealed that elderly patients were witnessing distressing scenes of patients dying while waiting in hospital corridors. Dr. Ian Higginson, President of The Royal College of Emergency Medicine, condemned the situation as a national shame, emphasizing the distress, lack of dignity, and risks to lives posed by corridor care.
Labour MP Rosena Allin-Khan, an emergency doctor and chair of the APPG, criticized the inadequate support for patients, describing the current system as unsafe, undignified, and indicative of an overstretched NHS struggling to meet demands. The Royal College of Nursing’s General Secretary, Professor Nicola Ranger, echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the unacceptable suffering endured by patients in prolonged waits in corridors and the need for urgent government intervention.
Responding to the research, a Department of Health and Social Care spokeswoman acknowledged the issue, stating that care in corridors is unacceptable and undignified. The department pledged investments in urgent and emergency care centers, ambulances, mental health crisis centers, and vaccination campaigns to enhance healthcare services and address the challenges faced by NHS staff and patients.