Corridor care in Britain’s hospitals is a “crisis in plain sight”, a charity has warned, with patients complaining of long waits and warzone-like conditions.
An Age UK report describes “truly shocking” incidents of elderly people waiting days for care, including them hearing and seeing others dying as they wait.
According to the latest figures for England, 75% of patients were seen within four hours in A&Es in September.
But the number of people waiting more than 12 hours from the decision to admit to actually being admitted – known as “corridor care” – stood at 44,765, a jump from 35,909 in August.
Describing her experience, a 79-year-old woman from south London told Age UK: “The corridors were lined with patients on trolleys, hooked up to drips, some moaning in pain.
“It reminded me of war films, with queues of stretchers and people suffering.”
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Others spoke of “puddles of urine” on the floor as immobile patients are unable to go to the toilet – and patients being forced to use bedpans in corridors.
The report raises concerns that poor quality care “is now almost expected” in some A&E departments and warns the situation could “get worse” as the NHS heads into winter.
One person said her friend’s mother was left waiting “ages when she was having a heart attack, and died before receiving any care”.
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Age UK said many patients are now unwilling to go to A&E, even if they are in a life-threatening situation.
It called on the government to “urgently” tackle corridor care, with specific deadlines for ending long waits, as it warned older people have been disproportionately affected.
Responding to the criticism, health minister Karin Smyth told Sky News: “The stories in this report are heartbreaking.
“No one should receive care in a corridor – it’s unacceptable, undignified, and we are determined to end it.
“To tackle a problem, you’ve got to be honest about it. For the first time, the NHS will measure and publish the number of patients waiting in corridors.”
The government is investing £450m to build same-day urgent and emergency care centres, buy 500 new ambulances, build 40 new mental health crisis centres, and give NHS leaders on the ground more power to deliver local solutions.
Ms Smyth also urged people to get vaccinated, as flu season has arrived weeks earlier than usual.
