Age UK warns that many patients are unwilling to go to A&E, even if they are in a life-threatening situation, because of their past experiences with NHS hospitals
Elderly patients were left watching others die as they waited for hours in hospital corridors, a shock report reveals.
The charity Age UK warned corridor care is now a crisis in plain sight in the NHS, with people waiting days for a bed. One patient likened treatment on trolleys to war films with “queues of stretchers and people suffering”. One woman died from a heart attack after being left to wait. Another was “lost” on a disused corridor.
A man was left hooked up to an IV drip in a chair for 20 hours and soiled himself, unable to get to the toilet. Some patients have waited for days in corridors before being admitted to a ward – a standard which the charity says “is now almost expected” in some A&Es.
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And there are fears the situation could get even worse as the NHS heads into winter. Age UK warns that many patients are unwilling to go to A&E, even if they are in a life-threatening situation, because of their past experiences.
Caroline Abrahams, director of Age UK, said: “What’s happening to some older people when they come to A&E is a crisis hiding in plain sight which the government must face up to and take immediate action to resolve.” The catalogue of cases highlighted in the report included a 79-year-old woman from South London who said: “Corridors were lined with patients on trolleys, hooked up to drips, some moaning in pain. It reminded me of war films, with queues of stretchers and people suffering. I was next to a man who was clearly unwell.
“He was alone for some time, then his wife was brought in. They whispered as they had little privacy. Then, after a long silence, she was led away, crying. I’m certain he died right next to me.” Another patient of 86 was stuck on a trolley with safety bars up without food, drinks or access to a toilet.
One person said: “My friend’s mother was left waiting for ages when she was having a heart attack, and died before receiving any care.” A woman called Francisca, 67, of Abingdon, Oxfordshire, broke her arm in a fall. She waited three hours for an ambulance, then spent 12 hours overnight in A&E sitting in a wheelchair, without food, help to the toilet or pain relief.
“I had to cry and almost scream in order to get painkillers,” she said. “I managed to flag a porter and asked for help. He told me to go to the reception because it was nothing to do with him. The only thing I could think about was that if I were a dog everybody would be all over me to keep me comfortable. The older you are, the worse it is.”
A man named only as John, 76, of Rochdale, cared for his wife Mary almost entirely on his own during the final years of her life. Mary had worked as a care assistant before she retired and was diagnosed with dementia in 2020. John, using a home oximeter, found Mary’s blood oxygen level was dangerously low.
He called an ambulance and Mary ended up in a hospital corridor, with John by her side. Other patients in the corridor were left in distress, including an elderly man with mental health issues trying to climb out of his trolley.
John had to tell his wife “little white lies” to stop her getting distressed. He stayed with her in hospital for 36 hours, before doctors said Mary’s condition was terminal. She passed away at home five days later, at the age of 79. Ms Abrahams warned that the government must take immediate action.
She added: “No one should have to spend their final days in a hospital corridor where it’s impossible for the staff to provide good, compassionate care. It’s truly shocking that this is what is happening to some very old people in some hospitals, today and every day.
“And as we head into winter, we fear that an already very difficult situation in and around some A&Es will get even worse. The older you are, the more likely you are, it seems, to endure a lengthy wait. Corridor care and long A&E waits are like a rot eating away the heart of the NHS, undermining public trust. Poor quality care in some A&Es is now almost expected, a truly dire situation we must act urgently to turn around.”
According to the latest figures for England, 75% of patients were seen within four hours in A&Es in September. The number of people waiting more than 12 hours between a decision to admit and actually being admitted stood at 44,765 in September, up from 35,909 in August.
Prof Nicola Ranger, chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “No elderly or vulnerable person should be forced to endure these conditions. It is unsafe, undignified, and unacceptable. Overstretched and understaffed nursing teams work hard every day to deliver the best care, but they face an impossible task.
“You cannot provide good quality care when patients are lining corridors or pushed into available space, no matter how inappropriate. Nursing staff and patients are being set up to fail by a system that simply isn’t working.”
Health minister Karin Smyth said: “No one should receive care in a corridor – it’s unacceptable, undignified and we are determined to end it. To give patients the care they deserve, we’re investing £450m to build same day urgent and emergency care centres, buying 500 new ambulances, building 40 new mental health crisis centres and giving NHS leaders more power.
“Ahead of this winter, we urge everyone to protect themselves, their family and the NHS by getting vaccinated.”
