Healthwatch report warns corridor care causes harm and distress
A Healthwatch report has warned that corridor care in England is causing patients harm and distress, as an A&E doctor told MPs the practice is undignified and inhumane.
How it was covered
- BBC One was the only channel found covering it, concentrating on patient testimony, a doctor's condemnation and the scale of corridor care.
- Channel 5, BBC News, BBC Two, Channel 4, GB News, ITV and Sky News: not found in tracked broadcasts.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
A Healthwatch report has warned that corridor care in England is causing patients harm and distress, BBC News reported. The patient care group published its findings as Dr Ian Higginson, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, gave evidence to a Commons committee.
BBC News reported harrowing patient accounts. One patient said people were lined up tightly like a row of coffins. Another described no beds and just a plastic chair in a corridor all night with little care. There were also accounts of vomiting, shouting and screaming, and of sick and injured people sprawling on the floors.
Joe, who has Crohn's disease, told BBC News she was left in a corridor for seven hours after going to A&E with an obstruction that needed urgent treatment. She said she shouted that she was going to die and needed help, but there were no beds and no staff available.
Dr Higginson told MPs that corridor care was dreadful for everybody. He said it was undignified and inhumane, and undoubtedly associated with harm. He described elderly, visually impaired or confused patients waiting in the middle of a corridor with lights and noise.
A health minister told the committee that winter planning for the NHS in England had begun early this year. The minister said corridor care was completely unacceptable and that the government would eradicate it by the end of this Parliament, BBC News reported.
BBC News reported that the vast majority of hospitals were struggling to reduce corridor care. There were nearly 100,000 cases in England in September, more than in the spring, and colder months were still to come. A&E doctors warned that some departments were already in big trouble before winter had set in.
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 |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| A health minister told a Commons committee that corridor care was unacceptable and that the government would eradicate it by the end of Parliament. | |
| England recorded nearly 100,000 cases of corridor care in September, up from the spring. | |
| Healthwatch reported that corridor care in England was causing patients harm and distress. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC ONE West built the item around harrowing patient testimony, including Joe's seven hours in a corridor, before turning to Dr Ian Higginson's evidence to MPs. It set the human harm against the government's claim that corridor care is unacceptable and would be eradicated by the end of this Parliament. The bulletin also gave the scale of the problem, with nearly 100,000 cases in September and colder months still to come.
- “It was awful and I'd said quite loudly I'm you know, I'm gonna die here this is critical I really need help”
- “that's undignified inhumane and Undoubtedly that is associated with harm”
- “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.
- 18:08 GMT
Ian Higginson, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine
BBC News · Wed 11 Nov
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.