Responding to an investigation from the BMJ1 that found 13,000 patients waited over three days in England’s emergency departments last year, BMA consultants committee emergency medicine lead Dr Den Langhor said:
“This data exposes the depth of the corridor care crisis in our emergency departments. We are no longer just measuring the length of time patients are waiting for a hospital bed in hours, but also in days.
“Any doctor working in emergency care will have had shifts where they have left the hospital to go home for the night, and returning the next morning to see the same patients in waiting rooms or in corridors. And as we see here, in some cases, these patients are still waiting for a third day. This is undignified and unsafe.
“There is no excuse for hospital patients in a developed country being treated this way, and doctors are ashamed that it has come to this.
“The Government’s recent commitments on corridor care are a small step forward but mean nothing for the thousands of patients this year who have waited days for treatment. Much more urgent and substantial change is needed to resolve the problem properly and quickly. This crucially means urgently increasing beds and staffing in hospitals to manage demand coming in, as well as in community and social care services, to enable effective discharge and keep patients flowing in and out of hospitals properly.”
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Notes to editors
The BMA is a professional association and trade union representing and negotiating on behalf of all doctors in the UK. A leading voice advocating for outstanding health care and a healthy population. An association providing members with excellent individual services and support throughout their lives.
- Please contact the BMJ on [email protected] for more information.