Eight in 10 of the survey respondents said treatment in non-clinical areas had increased since the start of 2022, while nine in 10 said they had concerns about the effects this might have on patient care and dignity.
Ahead of its annual conference this week, the Royal College of Nursing published the results of a survey taken of emergency care workers about ‘corridor care’, which refers to patients receiving care in waiting areas and other inappropriate parts of a hospital.
"A patient under my care [died] whilst in the corridor waiting to get into A&£"
Nurses said they have felt “broken” and “suicidal” as a result of corridor care, on account of worries for the health of patients.
One emergency care nurse said corridor care was “destroying staff morale”, and described losing hope when arriving at work to see dozens of people queueing.
The nurse said: “We care for patients the best we can, but something happens every day. I’ve dealt with almost every situation I can imagine in the queue.
“Patients and their relatives can sometimes be physically or verbally aggressive towards us because they are rightly scared and horrified about the setting they are being treated in – some are then arrested or removed by security.
“There are delays to medication. The list goes on.
“Having to care for patients in this way makes you feel you are a terrible nurse. Sadly I have become desensitised to it as I’ve been dealing with it for so long. But unless something is done we will continue to lose brilliant nurses who are getting to breaking point.”
One respondent to the RCN’s survey said: “I left full time work within the NHS as a direct result of a patient under my care dying whilst in the corridor waiting to get into A&£.”
Another said: “My levels of stress and anxiety are now unsustainable. I’m looking to leave the NHS due to the decline in my mental health. I honestly dread going into work.”
Others described “poor” care of patients, feeling “embarrassed” by the state of things, and aired concerns about patients feeling “degraded”.
“I am broken,” one nurse said. “I had to book into my own department as I was suicidal.”
A further response read: “I am often overwhelmed and tearful as I cannot provide safe and effective care.”
This latest survey comes just a few months after a Health and Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) investigation found emergency care staff, including nurses, were facing unprecedented levels of stress and demands on their mental health.
Concerns about corridor care becoming normal have also been raised on other occasions in recent years.
Source:- Nursing Times
