Representatives from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and the British Medical Association (BMA) have raised concerns about the rise of corridor care in hospitals across Wales.
A Senedd debate was prompted by a joint petition by both unions which calls on the Welsh Government to put an end to corridor care by measuring its prevalence and taking steps to prevent overcrowding in hospitals such as investing in community care.
The petition, which gathered the support of over 10,000 signatures from around Wales, was launched in April after nurses and doctors had reported their serious concerns about the harm it was causing patients and staff, including the added risks of death, poorer outcomes and the overall lack of dignity for patients.
A report by the Royal College for Emergency Medicine showed there had been over 900 excess deaths associated with long A&E waits in Wales last year.
Dr Manish Adke, chair of the BMA’s Welsh Consultants Committee who attended the Senedd, said:
“As health professionals it is extremely distressing to see patients in unsafe, inappropriate spaces whilst they are at their most vulnerable.
“What’s worse is that this practice is becoming systematically normalised and that is completely unacceptable. It is not what we trained for, it’s not the care we want to give and it’s putting patients at risk of serious harm.
“Without an allocated bed space we cannot stabilise patients with fluids, antibiotics or invasive lines. This adds serious risk to patients and leads to poorer outcomes and adds a greater risk of death.
“The Welsh Government must act now because lives depend on it.”
Helen Whyley, Executive Director of RCN Wales, said:
“People from around Wales and beyond have united with us and the BMA to call for an end to Corridor Care. We’re asking Welsh government to listen to the strength of feeling and act now.
“Hardworking nurses and health care professionals are doing their best to care for seriously ill patients in unacceptable, dangerous and almost Dickensian-like conditions, adding stress to both the carer-giver and the patients and seriously putting lives at risk.
“We’re calling for the Welsh Government to work with us and the BMA on resolutions for improved care pathways and conditions for both patients and health care professionals. This includes investment in front-line community care such as increasing the number of district nurses.
“Corridor Care is undignified, unsafe and unacceptable – the Welsh Government must act to end this practice now.”
