Consultants call off 25-26 November strike as MPs hear corridor care warnings
Consultants in England called off a strike planned for 25 and 26 November while MPs heard corridor care is undignified, inhumane and harmful, and the BMA said it would enter talks but warned of more dates if they fail.
How it was covered
- BBC One was the only channel found covering it, concentrating on cancelled consultants' strike and harrowing corridor care testimony.
- Channel 5, BBC Two, Channel 4, GB News, ITV and Sky News: not found in tracked broadcasts.
- BBC News: covered online, not found on air.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
BBC News reported that consultants in England had called off strike action scheduled for 25 and 26 November in a dispute over pay and working conditions. Health secretary Yvette Cooper welcomed the move. The British Medical Association said it would enter formal negotiations with the government, but warned that more strike dates would be announced if talks failed.
MPs on a Commons committee also heard warnings about corridor care. Dr Ian Higginson, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said looking after patients in hospital corridors was undignified and inhumane. According to BBC News, he told the committee that the vast majority of hospitals were trying to reduce the practice.
BBC News reported harrowing patient stories gathered by Healthwatch England. One patient described people being lined up tightly like a row of coffins. Another spoke of no beds and just a plastic chair in a corridor all night. Joe, a patient with Crohn's disease, was left in a corridor for seven hours and said she thought she would die there.
Healthwatch England published a report warning that corridor care was causing patients in England harm and distress, BBC News reported. A senior A&E doctor told MPs the practice was dreadful for everybody and was undignified, inhumane and undoubtedly associated with harm.
A health minister told the committee that winter planning for the NHS in England had begun early this year. According to BBC News, the minister called corridor care completely unacceptable and said the government aimed to eradicate it by the end of this Parliament.
A&E doctors warned that some departments were already in big trouble before winter had set in. BBC News reported there were nearly 100,000 cases of corridor care in England in September, more than in the spring, with colder months still to come.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Reported by all 2 channels | ||
| Consultants in England called off planned strike action on 25 and 26 November over pay and working conditions, with the British Medical Association saying industrial action was paused. | Reported by ITV | |
| Only on one channel | ||
| England recorded nearly 100,000 cases of corridor care in September, up from the spring. | Not reported by ITV | |
| The British Medical Association welcomed renewed negotiations and said it would announce more strike dates if talks failed. | Not reported by ITV | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The bulletin treated the cancelled consultants' strike as the lead NHS development, then gave detailed weight to corridor care through committee evidence, patient testimony and a ministerial commitment. Its tone was grave and patient-centred, with repeated emphasis on dignity, harm and pressure on A&E before winter.
- “Harrowing patient stories of corridor care as told by patients to Healthwatch England”
- “I'm gonna die here. This is critical I really need help”
- “It's completely unacceptable. That's why we're the first government to Say that we will eradicate that by the end of this Parliament”
Who was on air
People and organisations each channel put on air while covering this story. Channels' own presenters and reporters are not listed. Names as transcribed, and the list can miss people.
- 22:24 GMT
Dr. Ian Higginson, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine
BBC News and Weather · Wed 11 Nov
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.