Half of the public, including a
majority of Conservative and Reform UK voters, say it should take
the government no longer than a year to address the issue of care
occurring in non-medical areas, such as corridors and waiting
rooms, according to new polling conducted by
YouGov.
Health Secretary told the House of Commons last month that he “will
not promise that patients will not be treated in corridors next
year."
The RCN is calling for urgent action
to tackle the crisis, including mandatory reporting, greater
investment in nursing staff and expanding capacity in community,
social and primary care.
From a survey of British adults,
conducted by YouGov on behalf of the RCN, around half
(48%) of the respondents in
England said that if the government did take action, it
can eradicate care and treatment being delivered in
non-medical areas within one year.
When asked, 90% of people in England
said the need to prevent care from being delivered in non-medical
areas is “urgent”. Nearly one in five (19%) in England said they
had witnessed or received that type of care within the last six
months.
Significant numbers of voters from the
four main Westminster parties say the government could
solve the crisis within a year:
Conservative (58%); Reform UK (55%); Liberal Democrats (49%) and
Labour (42%).
While 50% of people in England blamed
the previous UK government for the problem, 48% said it was the
current UK government's responsibility to solve it. More than any
other party, Labour voters said responsibility should lie most
with the current government, at 55%.
On 16 January, the RCN published a
shocking report into the corridor crisis in NHS hospitals. Based
on the testimony of over 5,000 nurses, it revealed a devastating
collapse in care standards with patients unable to access
lifesaving equipment, without basic privacy, or even dying in
corridors and going undiscovered for
hours.
The RCN has called for the government
and NHS leaders to introduce mandatory reporting of every
instance of corridor care and to regularly publish this data. It
is now urging the government to act at greater pace and scale to
solve the causes of the crisis, including by making eradicating
corridor care a key priority in the new 10 Year Plan due this
spring. It comes after the publication of the Mandate to NHS
England, which included no specific reference to eradicating
corridor care.
Reacting to the figures, one frontline
nurse from the East of England said:
“The government must act or it's only
going to get worse. My hospital seems to be in a permanent crisis
with not enough beds, resorting to using escalation areas all
year round now. Beds in corridors, window bays, office spaces,
busy walkways. No washing or toilet facilities, no nurse call
buttons, no night lights. No dignified privacy of a curtain
whilst they are feeling unwell.
“Caring for vulnerable, sick people in
inappropriate places has become all too normalised and nurses in
my department are leaving as they feel they can't give the level
of care they want to.”
RCN General Secretary and
Chief Executive, Professor Nicola Ranger,
said:
“The public and nursing staff can see
a tragedy for patients unfolding before their eyes. They know
care standards are unacceptable and they want government to act
decisively. The first step it
can take to protect patients from corridor care is to introduce
mandatory reporting of any time it takes
place.
“But to properly solve this
crisis, the government has to
bring forward new and urgent investment into the nursing
workforce, especially in the community and social care. That is
the key to keeping patients healthy at home and easing pressures
on hospitals.
"Exhausted, overstretched and
demoralised nursing staff are working hard to keep patients safe,
but they cannot do so without measures to fill the thousands of
vacancies in the NHS and social care. This includes delivering a
meaningful pay rise to recruit and retain
staff.”
Chief Executive of the
Patients Association, Rachel Power, said:
“These findings make it clear that
patients and the public will not accept any further delays in
tackling the corridor care crisis. No one should be treated in a
space without basic dignity, privacy, or access to essential
medical equipment, yet this is the daily reality for
many.
“Behind each statistic is a person in
distress, a family fearing for their loved one's safety, and NHS
staff struggling to deliver the quality of care they are trained
to provide. We need urgent investment
incommunity, primary care and
hospital capacity, robust staffing plans, and full transparency
through mandatory reporting. The longer we wait, the more lives
will be put at risk. Patients deserve better, and they are right
to demand real action.”
Ends
Notes to
editors
All figures, unless otherwise stated,
are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,267 adults.
Fieldwork was undertaken between 26th - 27th January 2025. The
survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and
are representative of all GB adults (aged
18+).
A link to the survey results can be
found here.
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