Whittington Hospital in London is urgently hiring nurses for corridor care shifts due to overwhelming pressure in its A&E department

London: Whittington Hospital is in a bit of a pickle right now. They’re looking for nurses to work 12-hour shifts in the corridors, which is pretty wild. The A&E department is under serious strain, and they’ve had to post ads for “corridor care” nurses.
It’s not just them, either. Other NHS trusts are declaring critical incidents because A&E departments are so overwhelmed. People are being treated in hallways, and one patient even had to wait 50 hours to get a bed. Some hospitals are limiting visitors and asking folks to wear masks to help keep germs at bay.
The Whittington Health NHS Trust admitted they’re feeling the heat. They said they might have to provide care in corridors as a last resort. A spokesperson mentioned they’re bringing in extra staff temporarily to make sure patients get the care they need, even if it’s not in the best setting.
Last week, over a third of ambulance patients at Whittington had to wait more than 30 minutes to be handed over to A&E teams. That’s a long time when you’re in need of urgent care!
Ian Higginson, an emergency medicine consultant, shared a screenshot of the job ad for corridor nurses on social media. He pointed out that this kind of care has become all too normal, which is pretty concerning.
He warned that the pressure on hospitals isn’t going away anytime soon. “Don’t be fooled by the critical incidents being stood down; they’ll be back,” he said. It seems like almost every hospital is treating patients in corridors or even car parks these days.
Dr. Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, called corridor care “degrading and dangerous.” He stressed that it’s impossible to provide safe care in such cramped spaces. The overcrowding in emergency departments leads to longer wait times, which can even contribute to avoidable deaths.
This weekend, they teamed up with the Royal College of Nursing and other organizations to urge the Health Secretary to publish data on how often patients are treated in these unsuitable areas. They want to highlight the real scale of the problem and the risks involved.
Recently, hospitals in various places like Northamptonshire, Cornwall, and Liverpool have declared critical incidents. Even South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust had to do the same, citing record-high attendances at their emergency department.
In Gloucestershire, they also declared a critical incident, warning that patients could expect to spend an average of six hours in the emergency department. The spokesperson for Whittington Health mentioned they’re working with partners to manage the situation and ensure patients get the care they need as quickly as possible.
They apologized to anyone whose care didn’t meet their usual standards due to the overwhelming demand and thanked their staff for their hard work during this tough time.
An NHS England spokesperson acknowledged the unprecedented demand for services but emphasized that treating patients in temporary spaces should never be the norm. They’re working on expanding emergency care and providing more services in the community to help ease the pressure.