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‘Corridor nursing’: we fear being struck off over degrading care

Emergency department nurses tell RCN’s congress they feel broken by the lack of capacity in hospitals and the poor level of care patients receive in the ED
emergency nurse Shelley Pearce talks to RCN congress about corridor care

Emergency department nurses tell RCN’s congress they feel broken by the lack of capacity in hospitals and the poor level of care patients receive in the ED

emergency nurse Shelley Pearce talks to RCN congress about corridor care
Former emergency nurse Shelley Pearce Picture: John Houlihan

Nurses are fearful they will be taken to court or struck off for providing patient care in corridors.

More than 500 specialist emergency department (ED) nurses in the RCN’s emergency care association shared their experiences of overcrowded hospitals at the college’s annual congress in Brighton.

Some nurses said they felt ‘broken’ and even suicidal, and that treatment given in corridors was ‘degrading for patients’.

Nurses fear being struck off the NMC register or court cases against them

The RCN said six in ten nurses fear they will be struck off the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register or have a court case brought against them over patient harm resulting from working conditions.

‘24 hours in A&E’ is supposed to be a TV programme, not your length of stay’

Shelly Pearce, former emergency nurse

More than nine in ten have raised concerns that patients could be receiving unsafe care and that dignity, privacy and confidentiality compromised.

Former ED nurse Shelley Pearce told the audience: ‘Corridor nursing is a blight on our healthcare system. It is a symptom of the fact we are not able to meet the needs of the population… ‘24 hours in A&E’ is supposed to be a TV programme, not your length of stay.’

‘Corridor care just does not work, it should be banned’

Retired ED charge nurse John Hill said he had recently been on the other side of emergency care when he was taken to hospital with an angina. He said there was nowhere to put him and described being left in an armchair for 18 hours.

‘Corridor care just does not work, it should be thrown out and totally banned,’ he said.

Risk of becoming desensitised

Speaking before the conference, one ED nurse said she had become desensitised.

‘Having to care for patients in this way makes you feel you are a terrible nurse,’ she said. ‘But unless something is done, we will continue to lose brilliant nurses who are getting to breaking point.’

RCN members voted to ask the college’s council to lobby the government to abolish corridor care. Some 627 voted for, eight voted against and two abstained.

Corridor is happening across the NHS

RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said the ‘bleak’ situation existed right across the NHS.

NMC chief executive Andrea Sutcliffe said the regulator would always take context into account when it investigates concerns about care.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said it was ‘taking action’ to cut waiting lists with its urgent and emergency care recovery plan.


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