Hospital recruiting ‘corridor doctor’ amid A&E crisis just weeks after hunt for ‘corridor care’ nurses
An NHS hospital is recruiting a doctor to work solely in A&E corridors amid growing pressure on emergency departments.
University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust is advertising for the full-time position at Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton – just weeks after Whittington Hospital in north London advertised for nurses to work 12-hour “corridor care” shifts.
The job advert states that “caring for older people in the corridor of the emergency department is now normal in our hospital”.
The position comes with a salary of between £49,000 and £70,000 – and aims to improve care for frail older people stuck on corridors at the Brighton hospital.
The advert acknowledges that “long periods in corridors lead to increased morbidity and mortality, especially for older people with frailty.”
The Sussex trust saw some 1,200 patients waiting at least 12 hours for a bed last month alone.
Nationally, the situation is equally concerning – with 61,529 A&E patients waiting more than 12 hours for a bed in January.
These figures come following record numbers of extended waits in emergency departments across the NHS.
In January, the Royal College of Nursing warned some patients had been left to die in corridors while waiting for A&E care.
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Dr Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, called the corridor doctor role a “frightening and worrying indictment of how bad things have become” in A&E.
His concerns are supported by recent findings from the Royal College of Physicians.
Their report revealed that four in five NHS doctors had provided care in temporary environments – including corridors, chairs, lavatories or waiting rooms – in the past 12 months.
While Professor Katie Urch, chief medical officer at University Hospitals Sussex, defended the role as addressing system-wide challenges.
“The delays that patients are experiencing in our hospitals, including corridor care, are linked to challenges across our entire health and care system,” she said.
She explained the position is “focused on the care of frail elderly patients to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions.”
“We all understand that corridor care is not acceptable, and that we must continue our progress towards eliminating it,” she added.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting last month promised to end corridor care – but admitted it would “take time” to do so.
Speaking in the Commons, he described the practice as “unsafe, undignified, a cruel consequence of 14 years of failure on the NHS.”
“I cannot and will not promise that there won’t be patients treated in corridors next year,” he said.
Meanwhile, a Department of Health spokesman said it was “shocking” that corridor care has “become a feature of our NHS”.