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 bedsores 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.
Last week, a flurry of NHS hospitals sent out alerts warning patients that their A&E departments are "extremely busy" as winter has driven an increase in flu and respiratory viruses. One senior emergency care doctor in the north of England told The Independent that, by November, their hospital was already having to put patients in non-ward areas with "no oxygen ports, no curtains, no privacy".
They said: "[They're] often in really poor areas. So imagine you're at the doctor's desk writing your notes, and on the other side of the desk is an 84-year-old on a trolley who keeps asking for the toilet, but there are 95 patients in the department and 14 nurses. We'd normally open surge areas for these patients, but due to staffing levels, there are no nurses to staff them."
This story is from the December 11, 2023 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the December 11, 2023 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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