‘NEXT week’s strikes are in protest at unsafe care,’ said Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Director for England, Patricia Marquis yesterday, in response to the latest NHS England performance data.
Marquis said: ‘Ministers – including the Prime Minister – have so far refused to acknowledge that health and care is in crisis, yet some of what we are hearing from the frontline beggars belief.
‘Corridor care appears to have become the norm. Some nurses are being booked to work in hospital corridors, others are being asked to buy IKEA hooks so intravenous drips can be attached to the corridor wall, and some patients are having cardiac arrests because of mistakes made using cumbersome oxygen cylinders to treat them.
‘On average each day last week more than 14,000 patients remained in hospital despite no longer meeting the criteria to be there due to a lack of social care.
‘These are not the symptoms of high-performing NHS – quite the reverse.
‘And ministers’ solution? Treat patients in cabins in car parks or move them to care homes who don’t have the staff to run extra beds or to hotel rooms.
‘Today’s figures suggest this picture is only going to get worse. Hospitals are full, many patients face very long waits to be admitted from A&E and the waiting list for routine treatment remains sky high.
‘The government has had months and months to address this but has not acted. They must row back on years of underinvestment in nursing, starting with an immediate pay rise.
‘Nursing is saying enough is enough and standing up for their patients. Next week’s strikes are in protest at unsafe care.’
NHS England data published yesterday shows:
Bed occupancy – adult general and acute beds bed occupancy has increased to 96% from 95% the week before and 93% a year ago.
Last week 14,069 patients remained in hospital despite no longer meeting the criteria to reside – this a 10% increase from the week before and a 19% increase compared to the second week of January in 2022.
A&E waiting times have gone up from last month. In December 2022, 54,532 patients were waiting more than 12 hours from decision to admit (an increase of 44% from 37,837 in November 2022). The figure for patients waiting 12 hours or more is the highest figure since August 2010 when the data started.
