'Patients cleaned in corridors as staff struggle'

Patients are being cleaned and having their bloods taken in corridors as hospitals struggle to cope with demand, says a nurse.

Matthew Stewart, a critical care nurse at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, said it was undignified for patients to have these personal treatments in public spaces and it affects staff wellbeing.

Stewart, who is also a member of Royal College of Nursing (RCN), is calling for national reporting of data on how widespread corridor care has become.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said last week the RCN was right to shine a spotlight on the "scandal" of corridor care, but added there had been improvements in A&Es. The Department of Health and Social Care declined to comment.

The RCN said evidence provided by more than 5,000 of its members across the UK last winter showed cupboards, car parks, bathrooms and nursing stations were being turned into makeshift areas for patients.

There is currently no national data on the issue.

The BBC has contacted Gloucestershire Hospitals Foundation Trust for comment.

Stewart said nurses were complaining of "morale distress" as a result of treating patients in corridors.

Speaking to BBC Radio Gloucestershire, he added: "People are just getting demoralised by the fact that they have to do this care - personal care, intimate procedures - with other people around. It's being normalised."

Stewart said nurses now expect corridor care to happen and they are "just getting on with it".

"I think that shows great resilience from the staff but it then affects their wellbeing as well going forward," he added.

The nurse said the reason for corridor care was multi-factorial, with pressures on social care, ambulances and reduced workforce are all contributing to a worsening situation.

"It's a whole system-wide issue that needs looking at," he said.

In a statement last week, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said his focus had always been on the people "who are not getting a good enough experience" in the NHS.

He said: "I'm not going to beat about the bush on this. The Royal College of Nursing is absolutely right to shine a spotlight on the scandal of corridor care.

"When I came into this office 18 months ago, the NHS was still using terminology like temporary escalation spaces to normalise something that should never be acceptable, let alone normal, but we are seeing signs of improvement in emergency care."

Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.