Shocking RCN report: ‘Corridor care’ cannot be become the norm warns Derry MLA

He was speaking after a shocking report from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) on the prevalence of corridor care across Britain and Northern Ireland. It found that some patients are dying in corridors.

Lack of equipment and unsafe practices were also among the findings of a new RCN report documenting the experiences of more than 5,000 NHS nursing staff.

Almost 7 in 10 (66.8%) respondents to the RCN survey said they're delivering care in over-crowded or unsuitable places – such as corridors, converted cupboards and even car parks – on a daily basis.

Demoralised nursing staff report caring for as many as 40 patients in a single corridor, unable to access oxygen, cardiac monitors, suction and other lifesaving equipment.

The shocking report revealed that female patients have been miscarrying in corridors, while some nurses said they cannot provide adequate or timely CPR to patients having heart attacks.

More than 9 in 10 (90.8%) of those surveyed said patient safety is being compromised.

Foyle MLA Mr Durkan said: “As distressing as this report and the harrowing testimony of nurses is, it sadly reinforces what we already know. If you visit any of the North’s hospitals you will likely see patients being treated on beds or chairs in corridors or side rooms in both emergency departments and on wards. This is yet another symptom of our collapsing health system.”

Mr Durkan said the anguish and sense of despondency is clear from the nurses who responded to the report.

"They are trying to do the best they can for patients in the most difficult of circumstances and it's taking a real toll on them. This practice totally strips patients of their dignity, nobody who is seriously ill should be left lying in a hospital corridor and to think of someone spending their last moments in these circumstances is unconscionable.

“Due to the pressures on our health service corridor care has become accepted as part of life in our hospitals and that’s not right. This is yet another example of the failure to implement proper workforce planning, recruit the staff we need and transform our health service so that everyone can get the care they need in a dignified manner. While this report shows corridor care is a problem across these islands, I fear the situation in the North may be even worse than detailed, given the huge challenges facing our health service and staff.”

Reacting to the survey findings, RCN Northern Ireland Executive Director, Professor Rita Devlin said: “This is one of the most shocking reports of the experiences of nursing staff that I have ever seen. Consistently nurses are reporting they are unable to access basic but life-saving equipment such as oxygen and suction when caring for patients in a variety of inappropriate and unsafe areas.

“Most of the nurses quoted in the Northern Ireland report talk about a complete absence of privacy and dignity and very poor infection control. The fact that we have people who are at end of life being cared for in these circumstances is horrifying."

“It is clear that those staff trying to treat patients in these conditions are themselves experiencing a severe impact on their own mental health. This is not something we signed up to when we trained as nursing staff.”