Urgent Need For Data On Corridor Care To Protect Patients, says RCN Scotland
Reported data on corridor care and a single agreed definition are urgently needed to drive solutions, RCN Scotland said in a new report published today (Thursday 8 October).
Care delivered in corridors and other inappropriate places is unsafe for patients and those treating them. It increases risk of infection, robs patients of their dignity, and increases the likelihood of negative health outcomes. For nursing staff, delivering care in corridors can cause significant psychological strain, leading to stress and burnout – a leading contributory factor to nurses leaving the profession.
RCN Scotland stated that delivery of care in this way is reflective of deep systemic issues within the NHS and social care and impacts on the safety culture across and between teams in hospitals and the wider health and care system, undermining trust, communication, and efficiency.
The report, published ahead of the ministerial statement on NHS winter planning in the Scottish parliament, takes a deep dive into available data sources to expose the scope and determine the key drivers of corridor care. RCN Scotland built a composite picture and identified six key drivers:
• Ageing population with increasing multimorbidities
• NHS waiting times and waiting lists for treatment
• Availability and capacity of NHS beds
• Nursing workforce crisis
• Availability and supply of social care nursing services
• Delayed discharges.
Based on RCN Scotland’s findings, they are calling for an agreed definition of corridor care, data collection and reporting on corridor care, and investment to increase capacity to address the widespread challenges in the health and social care system.
The Scottish government must grow prevention and community focused activities to shift the balance of care away from hospital settings, to overcome the challenges of growing demand, at the same time as increasing acute hospital capacity.
Colin Poolman, RCN Scotland Executive Director, said:
“What gets measured gets done, and not having a measurement and reporting mechanism in place risks inaction.
“While corridor care is the term commonly used, care delivered in corridors is not care and should never be regarded as such. It has long since stopped being just a winter problem in the NHS in Scotland. It is widespread, increasingly normalised and has far reaching impacts for patients, nursing staff and the health system.
“Hospital overcrowding and use of continuous flow models have pushed corridor care beyond emergency departments, reaching wards and departments right across hospitals. Corridor care poses a significant risk for both patients and nursing staff, and over time, has normalised unsafe practices.
“The lack of concrete progress on data collection, despite previous Scottish government commitments, risks corridor care not being the political priority it needs to be. The current lack of data collection and measurement risks corridor care going unchecked, putting patients at risk. It also significantly reduces accountability for tackling it.
“Without consistent measuring and reporting of data on corridor care, it is simply impossible to have an accurate picture of the true scale of the problem in Scotland or work out if measures taken are having any effect. I would urge all politicians and policymakers to read our report in full.”
