Hospital emergency departments ‘in big trouble’ as ‘corridor care’ becoming normalised, medical chief says
Doctor issues stark warning about the normalisation of ‘corridor care’
- Dr Ian Higginson, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, has warned that "corridor care" in NHS emergency departments is now "normalised" and poses a severe threat to patient safety.
- The RCEM estimates that over 16,600 patient deaths last year were linked to prolonged waits for hospital beds in A&E, averaging around 320 fatalities each week.
- Dr Higginson expressed dismay that these alarming figures have not prompted more decisive government action, stressing that effective patient care cannot be delivered in corridors.
- Other medical leaders, including Professor Nicola Ranger and Dr Helen Neary, have condemned corridor care as unsafe and undignified, urging significant investment in hospital beds, staffing and social care.
- Despite Health Secretary Wes Streeting's pledge to end corridor care, Dr Higginson believes current solutions are inadequate, advocating for systemic improvements in hospital efficiency and community services.