Wes Streeting expressed his deep concern over the treatment of patients in hospital corridors in the UK. Special teams will be dispatched to address issues in problematic hospitals. The Health Secretary emphasized the urgency of eliminating the practice of leaving patients on trolleys, aiming to achieve this goal before the upcoming election.
Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, Mr. Streeting conveyed his strong disapproval of the undignified and unsafe conditions faced by patients in corridors. He reiterated his commitment to eradicating corridor care as soon as possible, even before the end of the current Parliament term.
To tackle the issue, expert teams will be deployed to hospitals with high rates of corridor care for necessary interventions. Additionally, 40 new and expanded facilities have been designated in various locations across England to alleviate the strain on busy Accident and Emergency departments.
Following a critical report by the Royal College of Nursing condemning corridor care as a form of “torture,” efforts are underway to improve the situation. Mr. Streeting visited Queen’s Hospital in Romford, where innovative triage schemes have successfully reduced the burden on A&E by swiftly attending to elderly patients and redirecting them to emergency care centers.
Plans are in place to establish 10 new and expand four urgent treatment centers, as well as introduce five new and enhance 21 same-day emergency care services to provide prompt care for stable patients. These initiatives, supported by a £215 million funding allocation, aim to revitalize urgent and emergency care services.
NHS England now defines corridor care as spending 45 minutes or more in inappropriate clinical settings, prompting trusts to disclose their data starting next month. Mr. Streeting highlighted positive trends in the NHS, including reduced waiting lists, improved ambulance response times, and better A&E performance.
Amid discussions on immigration reforms impacting NHS staffing, Mr. Streeting emphasized the vital contributions of healthcare workers from around the world. He acknowledged the need for a balanced approach to recruitment and training to ensure sustainability in healthcare services.