An NHS whistleblower tells us about chaotic hospital care | ITV News скачать в хорошем качестве

An NHS whistleblower tells us about chaotic hospital care | ITV News

An NHS whistleblower has told ITV News that patients are “dying in corridors” because of a lack of available hospital beds. Our investigation into so-called corridor care in NHS hospitals has exposed “chaotic” conditions for patients and staff, not confined to the traditionally busy winter months. Last summer, there were almost 5,000 deaths associated with long A&E waits, according to analysis by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, shared exclusively with ITV News. An A&E worker spoke anonymously to ITV News. “Today I walked through A&E and there were patients upon patients on oxygen in the corridors,” he said. “It's embarrassing to work for the NHS. It's heartbreaking, it’s depressing.” Increasingly, hospital patients are being treated in non-clinical areas, such as corridors, cupboards or offices, while they wait for a bed on a ward to become available. “I feel ashamed that I'm allowing patients to be treated in this way,” the NHS staff member told ITV News. “It’s like it's normal - and it's not normal. Patients are dying in corridors, and we’re just watching people die, and there’s nothing we can do about it.” Elsewhere, Bernard Parkinson, 75, from Chorley in Lancashire, spent three days on a hospital corridor while he was being treated for sepsis. It happened last August - not during the usually pressured winter period. Bernard’s daughter, Sharron Smith, described their experience at Royal Preston Hospital as “carnage”. “There were people everywhere. The staff were running up and down. There was no privacy at all,” Sharron told ITV News. “It was horrendous. We were in tears most of the time.” The President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Dr Ian Higginson, described the findings as “appalling”. “There is absolutely rock-solid evidence that long waits in the emergency departments are associated with an increased risk of dying - and that's what really worries us,” Dr Higginson said. “The last two shifts I've worked in my emergency department, I’ve had very senior nurses in tears at the state of what’s going on - and at times I feel like crying too. “I feel sorry for the patients. We could do a really good job for our patients, but it’s so hard to do that when our department is so full.” A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “The care Mr Parkinson received was completely unacceptable and should not happen. “While there have been clear improvements this winter – with faster ambulance handovers, shorter delays and fewer hospital beds occupied by flu patients – it is deeply concerning that some people are still being treated in corridors. It is undignified, and the government is determined to fix the mess it inherited. “We have invested almost £450 million this winter to strengthen urgent and emergency care, expand vaccination programmes and help keep patients out of hospital wherever possible.” • Subscribe to ITV News on YouTube: http://bit.ly/2lOHmNj • Get breaking news and more stories at http://www.itv.com/news Follow ITV News on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@itvnews?lang=en Follow ITV News on Instagram:   / itvnews   Follow ITV News on Facebook:   / itvnews   Follow ITV News on X:   / itvnews