Patients are being left to die on trolleys in Welsh hospital corridors in what nurses say are “unsafe, undignified, and unacceptable”. The shocking reality of “corridor care in Wales” where “patients are shoved in places to die” is laid bare in a UK-wide report published today.
The Royal College of Nursing’s harrowing document exposes what it says is the devastating impact of “corridor care” – the practice of treating patients in hallways, chairs, or other inappropriate settings because nowhere else is available. Patients being cared for corridors is a daily reality in many Welsh hospitals and across the UK, the RCN, which has 30,500 members in Wales, warns.
Drawing directly from unedited testimonies of nursing staff in Wales and around the UK, the RCN’s report paints a bleak picture where overcrowded facilities, insufficient resources, and high patient demand means care is delivered in spaces that “compromise safety, dignity, and quality”. The document comes just days after another report detailed how patients in one Welsh accident and emergency department are left in pain and indignity.
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Welsh Government said it “did not endorse the routine care or treatment of individuals in non-clinical or unsuitable environments”.
One nurse working in Wales told the report: “It’s happening daily. Patient(s) are stripped of their dignity and patients are shoved in places to die then families unable to grieve as bed management need the trolley for another patient.”
Another described how safe care was impossible in this environment: “There is no privacy for patients, no access to essential equipment like oxygen or resuscitation tools, and no call bells to ensure patient safety. It’s heartbreaking to witness the lack of dignity and the compromised care patients receive.” For the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox sign up to our newsletter
The 460-page report – On the frontline of the UK’s corridor care crisis – includes 22 pages of bleak personal testimony from nurses forced to treat patients in Welsh hospital corridors. It highlights the emotional toll on nursing staff as well as the grave risk to patients.
Nurses describe having to tell patients that they are dying in corridors and others waiting as long as five days on hard chairs. As well as not getting the appropriate medical care they need patients treated in corridors don’t have privacy, easy access to nearby toilets, there is no call bell, a lack of oxygen and risk of cross infection, warn nurses.
Many expressed feeling guilty and helplessness: “It feels like you can’t give any of your patients the full care they need and deserve. It’s undignified, there’s no privacy, and sometimes patients are put there without even a handover. It makes me really sad to be a nurse in these times,” said one nurse working in Wales.
Another described delays in medication and investigations, “lack of sleep and nutrition” and patients leaving before they are well enough to be discharged: “We have had patients fall and sustain serious injuries, patients deteriorate and it not be noticed, and even cardiac arrests in inappropriate areas.”
The emergency department of the University Hospital Wales, Cardiff -Credit:WalesOnline/ Rob Browne
What report says caring in corridors means for patients
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Lack of privacy for intimate examinations and conversations.
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Inability to thoroughly monitor and assess patients.
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Increased risk of falls and medical emergencies due to overcrowding
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Low staff morale among staff, leading to burnout and reduced effectiveness.
Overcrowding in some Welsh hospitals means patients are treated “in front of fire doors, in walk ways, corridors or any space they can squeeze a person in without considering patients safety”. Intimate care and conversations has to be provided in public spaces as well as treatments including blood transfusions and CPR.
Nurses caring for patients in corridors, sometimes for days on end, described having to shout for help in emergencies because there are no call bells. Examinations are rushed, meals and refreshments can be forgotten, the lights are always on and some patients leave without completing treatment because they feel unsafe.
” We told a patient he was dying as patients were wheeled past and orders shouted across the unit How is it fair to tell someone they are dying in a corridor,” one nurse told the report.
Helen Whyley, executive director of the RCN Wales said: “Every patient deserves privacy, dignity, and quality care. Corridor care is a symptom of a system under immense pressure.
“It’s time to invest in our NHS, support our health care staff, and prioritise the well-being of patients.”
The RCN is urging the Welsh Government and NHS leaders to “take immediate action to end Corridor Care”. It said current conditions are unsustainable and posing significant risks to patient safety and staff well-being.
The report emphasises the urgent need for increased resources, expanded facilities, and better workforce planning to ensure patients receive care in appropriate and dignified settings.
“Corridor care is the obvious and avoidable failure of political will to reform the NHS and social care, and invest in its workforce under recent governments,” said Professor Nicola Ranger RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive, in her forward to the report, “Nursing staff, as the largest part of the workforce, are bearing the brunt of this failure, but they are not alone.”
What Welsh Government says
Responding to the report a Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We do not endorse the routine care or treatment of individuals in non-clinical or unsuitable environments, nor any situations where the quality of care, privacy, or dignity of patients is compromised. However, there are occasions when the NHS faces exceptional pressures, such as during periods of increased demand or public health emergencies.
“These pressures, which are not unique to Wales, highlight the importance of accessing the right care in the right place such as minor injury units and pharmacies. This enables the NHS to prioritise care for the most critically ill patients.
“We continue to work with NHS leaders on national programmes, such as the Six Goals for Urgent and Emergency Care, to address these challenges.”
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