International Finance Times (IBTimes) reported on November 11th that the latest data released by the UK National Health Service (NHS) revealed that in England, nearly 3000 patients per day cannot be admitted to hospital wards and are being treated in corridors or other temporary treatment areas. The pressure on patient treatment process continues to increase.
Last month, the emergency department had an average of 2241 patients receiving so-called “corridant care” per day, and another 669 patients received treatment in other non-designated areas. This group of patients accounted for about 3% to 4% of the total number of emergency visits per day.
According to the NHS definition, “Corrida treatment” refers to situations where patients receive treatment in non-standard areas such as corridors or temporary areas for more than 45 minutes, or where patients remain in these areas without being assigned a bed.
Reports indicate that for patients and their families, corridor treatment often means a lack of privacy for a long time, reduced comfort, and difficulty in receiving basic nursing care.
A chaperone named Suzanne said that her elderly mother frequently went to the hospital for emergency care, and she had to wait for a long time in the hallway each time. According to her, the emergency corridor was packed with treatment carts filled with patients, making it difficult to ensure that the elderly person received proper care during the long waits.
She also stated that basic care activities such as drinking water and using the toilet can mostly only be carried out with the accompaniment of family members. This also causes her great concern about how vulnerable patients without companionship will handle these situations.
Another patient was hospitalized due to suspected eye infection. She waited for a full 36 hours on a chair before it was discovered that her symptoms were related to a brain tumor. "That experience was terrible... I vomited as soon as I got home, and I was completely exhausted."
Reports say that these experiences make patients even more worried. In an environment that is already unsuitable for long-term care, they are forced to wait endlessly.
London, UK, NHS logo. IC photo
The nurses in the emergency department also described the immense pressure caused by the corridor treatment environment, especially when the wards and the emergency department are operating at full capacity.
Some healthcare workers who preferred to remain anonymous said that they have to treat patients in crowded corridors, and limited space makes it very difficult to move and monitor patients.
A nurse recalled a shift when patients were lined up along the corridor for a long time, while the department was still receiving urgent and serious patients. She said that such an environment was extremely painful: “There was absolutely no dignity at all.”
Even more heartbreaking is that one patient was delayed in treatment due to prolonged stay. By the time the staff noticed, it was already too late to do anything.
He had been lying in the corridor for too long; his body had become stiff and rigid. No one around him seemed to notice. "I thought someone would just leave like that, without anyone noticing." another nurse said.
Reports say that frontline medical workers are generally worried that in overcrowded environments, it is difficult to ensure the dignity and personal safety of patients.
Clinical doctors state that short-term overcrowding during peak periods is inevitable, but when consultations last for several hours in the corridors, or when it involves high-risk patients who require continuous monitoring, the problem becomes particularly serious.
According to reports, healthcare professionals and patient advocates are increasingly concerned about the impact of prolonged treatment in temporary areas on patients' safety and dignity. Additionally, prolonged treatment in non-clinical settings also increases the difficulty of medical staff in monitoring patients' deterioration, controlling infections, and providing timely intervention.
The King Foundation, a British think tank, states that the scale of corridor treatments indicates that this practice should not be normalized in the medical environment.
The scale of NHS corridor treatment is so vast that it fills one with grave concern. This sentiment was expressed by Siva Anandaciva, a staff member at the institution.
He affirmed that making data public is a positive step, but also pointed out that despite the increased transparency, long-standing problems such as overcrowding in the legislative chambers remain unresolved.
Reports indicate that whether it’s elderly patients waiting in the hallway or emergency cases being treated in crowded wards, there is one common problem at the heart of it: medical spaces can no longer meet the growing demand for medical care.
Although hospitals always give priority to treating emergency patients, data shows that a shortage of beds and overloaded emergency services are continuously changing the places where patients receive treatment and the methods of diagnosis and treatment.
For patients and their families, they do not care about policy provisions. Their real experience is endless waiting, a lack of privacy, and receiving treatment in a space that is not suitable for rest and recuperation. Their personal dignity is also difficult to be protected.
