Commenting on the latest NHS performance data released today (14 May), Dr Vicky Price, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “Although there is a desire centrally to show progress on corridor care, the reality on the ground among clinicians is that, in many areas, the problem is being disguised rather than resolved.
“SAM continues to hear reports of extremely vulnerable patients experiencing unacceptable waits in overcrowded environments.
“This includes older and frail patients who are spending prolonged periods in chairs or temporary escalation areas because there are simply no staffed beds available.
“Corridor care is not defined solely by whether a patient is physically in a corridor. The underlying danger is overcrowding, delayed assessment and a lack of capacity across the system.
“Moving patients out of sight – as we are increasingly seeing and hearing about – does not necessarily mean conditions are safer. It’s is ‘gamification’ and it is happening on a significant scale.
“In some hospitals, same day emergency care capacity – which is designed to help manage and improve hospital flow – is being used for admitted patients because of bed pressures, or used inappropriately as a streaming service, which may appear to improve statistics but actually worsens flow and doesn’t improve care.
“Today’s data shows a 7% increase in delays of over 12 hours in emergency departments compared to April last year – 47,750 which equates to 1,592 people a day – despite these practices occurring, so it is evident acute and emergency care remains at crisis point.
“If the focus continues to be on how patients are counted or where they are placed, rather than whether they are receiving timely and appropriate care, there will undoubtedly be more avoidable harm caused to those who are most vulnerable.”