A partnership of nurses and doctors in Wales has now formally petitioned the Welsh Government to declare illegal the treatment of what they refer to as hospital corridor care, which dehumanizes the patients.
"The Welsh government does not endorse routine care in spaces not intended for clinical use where privacy or dignity is compromised; there are occasions when NHS faces exceptional challenges," are the words of the statement.
The immense pressure on hospitals has grown more so since the pandemic with increased demand on services, coupled with the growing inability to safely discharge patients on account of social care shortages.
This thereby impedes patient flow through hospitals, resulting in longer waiting times in emergency departments or outside hospitals in ambulances due to the unavailability of beds.
Patients discharge themselves against medical advice as they cannot bear staying in a chair anymore. Pressure sores or damage as a result of the time spent in chairs or in an ambulance Absence of water, food, and toilet access, particularly for the frail Patients never go home because they deteriorate so much during "corridor care." Patients with cardiac monitors often have seizures in chairs.
The inability of people to remain mobile while stuck in A&E can lead to all sorts of secondary consequences. Consequences that mean when they, on a good day, might have been able to head home, in reality, they require care by then that is just not available.
With the passage of time, the total number of hospital beds in Wales has come down along with a long-term strategic objective of bringing hospital care nearer home by extending the provision of community and GP services.
Invest in community-based care, for example, district nurses and general practice. Drilling prevention and early intervention are to lighten the burden on A&E.
But a spokesman for the Welsh government said, "Never events are recorded in the NHS as completely preventable medical errors with potential for severe injury; therefore, the claim to include care for patients in chairs more than 24 hours within 'never events' does not stand, given the complex nature of causes."
Dr. Leopold noted that about one-quarter of older adults develop delirium—sudden changes in brain activity that can be very distressing to the patient and their family.
Noise gets quieter in the area of a busy ward; food and getting out of bed have "all helped," but "we know we're making that worse" for hallucinating patients who, trapped in the corridors with the lights always on and surrounded by constant noise, are bound to be affected.
Dr. Leopold added, "It's especially frustrating knowing that there are little things that could be done an awful lot better, but there's really no facility for doing so."
However, it was said to have "caused moral injury" to many staff, who feared that any complaints they might make to the governing bodies would point fingers at doctors and nurses, rather than at the system itself.