Top doctors warn A&E crisis is making patients sicker as corridor care becomes routine

Patients needing emergency treatment are becoming sicker in A&E as hospitals struggle to free up enough beds, top doctors have warned.

Dr Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM), told The Independent that elderly patients are waiting so long for treatment in A&E that they’re developing bed sores and delirium.

Another senior NHS doctor, Dr Vicky Price, who is president-elect of the Society for Acute Medicine, warned that corridor care is now “routine practice” with the situation only set to worsen as A&E departments come under increasing pressure.

Their comments highlight the ongoing chaos in emergency medicine, as strikes take place during the most difficult time of the year. The chief executive of the NHS, Amanda Pritchard, said on Thursday that last winter was the worst she’d ever seen for the health service, warning that strikes by junior doctors will only make the situation harder for hospitals this year

The warnings come as the latest NHS data shows that the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, could fail in his promise to deliver 5,000 more acute hospital beds to the NHS this month. Current data shows that the NHS is falling short of the target by just under 1,200 beds, with 97,818 against a target of 99,000.

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Source: The Independent, 10 November 2023