An NHS Trust has advertised for a “corridor care” doctor as pressure on A&E departments mounts amid calls for the government to end the “dangerous situation”.
The job listing for a doctor at the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust said it was necessary because caring for older people in the corridor of its emergency department “is now normal in our hospital”.
The ad said many staff were feeling “helpless and powerless” over the situation, but the new role was a chance to “make a real difference to the care of older people with frailty in the emergency department”.
It comes as hospital emergency departments around the country continue to work under severe pressure with norovirus cases close to record levels and delayed discharges remaining high.
The job ad warned that spending long periods in corridors “lead to increased morbidity and mortality, especially for older people with frailty”.
The main responsibilities of the job included working with patients, relatives and staff to create a toolkit to help care for older people in corridors. The job, now closed, was advertised with a salary of £49,909 to £70,425 a year.
Professor Katie Urch, Chief Medical Officer, University Hospitals Sussex, said: “The delays that patients are experiencing in our hospitals, including corridor care, are linked to challenges across our entire health and care system – the challenges cannot be solved by us alone, and need collective solutions.
“To support this, the jointly funded role with our local medical school is focused on the care of frail elderly patients to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions and to ensure the most appropriate inpatient assessment and care.”
She added: “We all understand that corridor care is not acceptable, and that we must continue our progress towards eliminating it. This role builds on the significant steps we have already taken with our partners to ensure patients receive more timely admission or treatment – although the winter has been extremely difficult, there are clear signs of improvement compared to last year."
President of The Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Dr Adrian Boyle, said the job listing should not be seen as an indictment of the trust, but rather on the pressures on the system as a whole.
“Let me be clear from the off, this is not about one job advert or blaming the trust who issued it. The fact that such a role could even be considered necessary is a frightening and worrying indictment of how bad things have become,” he said.
Dr Boyle pointed to a survey this week from the Royal College of Physicians which found nearly 80 per cent of hospital doctors had treated patients in corridors or other inappropriate spaces.
“Corridor care is a very dangerous and very shameful reality and not just during winter - with yesterday’s poll by the RCP revealing just how prevalent it is,” he said.
“RCEM’s position is that it is impossible to provide appropriate, adequate and safe care in these settings – yet it continues because in reality there is no other choice. So patient dignity, confidentiality and safety continue to be routinely compromised.
The latest NHS data shows little sign of relief for emergency departments, with cases of the vomiting bug norovirus 150 per cent higher than last year.
There was an average of 1,134 patients a day in hospital with norovirus last week, down slightly from last week’s record of 1,160 patients a day.
NHS figures show hospital capacity around England remains strained, with 95.3 per cent of adult beds occupied and nearly one in seven of those beds taken up by patients who did not need to be there.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, National Medical Director of NHS England, said: “While it is good news norovirus cases dropped, they remain extremely close to the all-time high reported last week so we can be under no illusions about the continued pressure staff are still facing.
“Hospitals remain close to capacity in part because of seasonal illnesses, and it is vital that people do everything they can to reduce the spread of what can be a deeply unpleasant illness.”
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “These statistics show that we are still not out of the winter woods, and I want to thank all NHS staff for their hard work in the face of substantial pressures on the health service.
“We have taken important steps to reduce winter pressures this year, including getting doctors back on the frontline, rather than the picket line, and introducing the country’s first RSV vaccination scheme.
“Through the government’s Plan for Change, we will deliver the investment and reform required to turn our health service around, so it will be there for all of us when we need it, once again.”
Dr Boyle said to end the “dangerous situation” of corridor care, hospitals needed more beds, and delayed discharges must be tackled.
“Without addressing this, this undignified, unacceptable and unsafe situation will continue. Ending corridor care must be a political priority for the government, and right at the top of the new NHS England interim CEO’s ‘to do’ list,” he said.
University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust has been contacted for comment.
