Nearly 3,000 patients per day required care in hospital corridors or makeshift treatment spaces in England last month, according to recent statistics. This is the first time such data has been made public, shedding light on the significant challenge the NHS faces in addressing what officials deem as “unsafe” and “unacceptable” practices. Corridor care, where patients wait over 45 minutes for proper care placement, is a key concern, with a pledge to eliminate this practice by 2029.
In A&E settings, patients are often accommodated in corridors, side-rooms, and temporary treatment areas lacking essential equipment for safety and dignity. Similarly, on hospital wards, patients experience corridor care when waiting for a bed for 45 minutes or longer.
The data from May indicates an average of 2,241 cases of corridor care per day in A&E and 669 cases on hospital wards. Analysis by the NHS revealed that certain trusts were responsible for a significant portion of these instances, with 20 trusts accounting for over half of A&E corridor care cases and two-thirds in other hospital areas.
Health Secretary James Murray emphasized the unacceptability of corridor care, emphasizing the need for targeted support to tackle the issue efficiently. Additionally, the waiting list for routine hospital treatments in England has risen for the first time in six months, with approximately 7.22 million treatments pending at the end of April, affecting 6.11 million patients.
Tim Gardner from the Health Foundation noted the challenges faced by NHS staff in maintaining hospital care amid external pressures such as a heatwave and industrial actions. Urgent and emergency care services continued to be strained in May, with 75.7% of patients waiting less than four hours in A&E departments, falling short of the NHS’s interim target.
Furthermore, the full scope of unacceptable corridor care in NHS hospitals was highlighted in the data, with almost 3,000 instances daily of patients spending over 45 minutes in inadequate clinical care settings in May. To address these issues and improve care delivery, recruiting and retaining a skilled workforce supported by robust management will be crucial.
Tragically, two children in England have lost their lives to measles this year, with one death attributed to acute measles and the other to late effects of the disease. The UK Health Security Agency reported a total of 736 measles cases so far this year, with significant outbreaks in London and the West Midlands, primarily affecting unvaccinated children aged 10 and under.