Experts are warning that the “often unsafe” practice of nursing patients on corridors is now becoming more prevalent, reports Nursing Notes. Busy hospitals are reportedly being left with no choice but to redeploy nurses from already over-stretched wards to look after queues of patients in corridors.
A toxic combination of underfunding, short staffing, an ever-increasing demand on services, and a reduction in the total number of bed hours is thought to be the cause.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has confirmed the “often unsafe” practice is happening “across the country”.
Dave Smith, Chair of the RCN’s Emergency Care Association, said: “Having to provide care to patients in corridors and on trolleys in overcrowded emergency departments is not what we came into nursing for. It’s not just undignified for patients, it’s also often unsafe.”
Full story in Nursing Notes, 15 January 2020