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Medical professionals have reported that patients are being accommodated in chairs around the clock, while physiotherapy gyms are being repurposed into makeshift wards as hospitals reach full capacity.
The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) said treating patients in corridors cannot be allowed to continue as it published accounts from doctors on the front line talking about the crisis in NHS hospitals.
Dr Mashkur Khan, RCP regional adviser for south London, said: “Our physiotherapy gym has now been taken over for extra bed spaces and the corridors are full to the brim.
"Patients frequently spend the entire day and night seated in chairs."
He mentioned that patients are being placed in wards even before a bed is ready for them.
We find ourselves trapped in a detrimental cycle of unproductiveness. The prevailing disorder leads us to resort to mere acceptance, perpetuating an ongoing crisis.
Dr. Hilary Williams, Vice President of the Royal College of Physicians for Wales.
Dr. Jacob de Wolff, the regional manager for the Royal College of Physicians in North West London, remarked, “It's quite usual to walk into the emergency department at 8am only to find a corridor lined with trolleys.”
"Several of these patients may have had to spend the night in a brightly lit environment, without convenient access to a restroom."
"Even individuals fortunate enough to have their own cubicle are likely to have experienced restless and unsatisfying sleep."
Dr. John Dean, the clinical vice president of RCP, stated: “Doctors are reporting that they are increasingly required to deliver care in hallways and other makeshift settings, including treating extra patients in wards beyond the pre-established limits. This situation is intolerable and needs to be addressed immediately.”
"One of the urgent tasks for the NHS is to start sharing statistics on the count of patients being treated in temporary settings."
Dr. Dean emphasized that the Government's initiative to reduce the overall waiting list for scheduled treatments should set realistic expectations to prevent doctors from experiencing additional burnout while working to meet the 18-week target.
In December, emergency department attendances in England reached 2.3 million.
The RCP reported that a significant portion of the 54,207 patients who were held for over 12 hours after being admitted in December – marking the third highest count of such delays – likely received treatment in makeshift settings, including hallways or chairs.
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(PA Visuals)
PA Visuals
Commenting on the situation beyond England, RCP vice president for Wales, Dr Hilary Williams, said: “Patients waiting in corridors is unsafe and undignified.
“We find ourselves trapped in a detrimental cycle of unproductiveness. The prevailing disorder leads us to resort to mere acceptance, perpetuating an ongoing crisis.. Every hour that an older person spends lying on a trolley or sitting in a chair prolongs their stay in hospital. Continuity of care is lost.”
Dr. Sacha Moore, the representative for the RCP resident doctor committee in Wales, stated that numerous medical patients are being placed in non-medical wards. This situation complicates the continuity of care and ultimately hampers our efforts to discharge patients promptly. "We are facing a significant shortage of doctors," she emphasized.
