Nearly 3,000 NHS patients a day receiving corridor care in England, figures show | NHS
According to official figures, around 3,000 patients a day in England receive care in hospital corridors due to a lack of beds in A&E units across the country.
Hallway care occurs when a patient receives treatment in an environment that is considered clinically inappropriate, undignified, and unsafe.
Figures published for the first time by NHS England revealed an average of 2,241 cases received more than 45 minutes of corridor care in a clinically unsuitable environment in an A&E unit each day in May.
A further 699 patients per day were cared for in other inappropriate settings, including closets, parking lots or restrooms. The data also revealed regional disparities; Just 20 NHS Trusts accounted for more than half of corridor care cases seen in A&E departments.
Criteria that determine whether a care environment is clinically appropriate include whether patients have privacy, whether there is access to basic amenities such as food and water, and whether noise is low enough that they can sleep and lighting can be dimmed.
Dr Ian Higginson, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said corridor care used in the NHS was a “national scandal” and published figures showed its widespread use was finally starting to be taken seriously.
“Hallway care is completely unacceptable. It is an undignified and dangerous way to care for patients,” Higginson said. “Attempts to better understand and ultimately end this appalling and dangerous practice are welcome. We hope that the publication of this data will mean that trusts and policymakers will start to take tough action to prevent it.”
But Higginson also raised concerns about the accuracy of the data on how the health service defines ‘corridor care’. He added: “We are skeptical of the current accuracy and comprehensiveness of this data, as well as the potential for trusts to game the system.
“Corridor maintenance is a national scandal and a problem that policymakers acknowledge has become normalised. However, in some areas the data appears to be low. Many of our members are likely to feel that the data does not reflect day-to-day realities.
“We are skeptical about whether NHS England’s definition of corridor care, which supports today’s data, is sufficient to capture the true extent of the problem. We are concerned that it is open to gaming and varying interpretations.”
The data also showed that the overall hospital waiting list rose from 7.11 million in March to 7.22 million in May for the first time in six months. Additionally, 99,781 people in England had been waiting more than a year to start routine treatment at the beginning of May, an increase on the 94,406 seen at the end of March.
Health minister James Murray said: “Aisle care is unacceptable, undignified and has no place in the NHS. That’s why we’re publishing this data for the first time to shine a light on where the problems are greatest and ensure trusts get the support they need, with the majority of corridor care concentrated in a small number of organisations.”
He added: “Bringing corridor maintenance to a good end will take time and different areas will need different solutions, but we are determined to eliminate this practice.”
Prof Francesca Swords, the NHS’s national medical director, added that corridor care was “completely unacceptable” and had no place in the NHS.
