NHS hospitals recruit ‘hall nurses’ to look after virus sufferers in crammed hallways

Flu-hit NHS hospitals are advertising for ‘corridor nurses’ to look after patients stuck in busy hallways as the health service faces ‘unprecedented demand’ for beds

NHS hospitals battered by severe flu season are on the hunt for “corridor nurses” to manage the overflow of patients marooned in jam-packed hallways, as they face an “unprecedented” scramble for beds.

The Whittington Hospital in North London revealed an urgent call-to-action last week, seeking temporary 12-hour shift “corridor care” nurses. This distress signal has been fired off as the institution admits to facing “very significant pressure” when it comes to urgent and emergency care services, as reported by The Sunday Times.

Explaining the daunting challenge, a representative for Whittington Health NHS Trust admitted: “Our hospital has been experiencing very significant pressure in urgent and emergency care.

“In these circumstances we may have to provide care in corridors, as an absolute last resort.”

They added: “In common with other hospitals, where this is necessary, we bring in additional staff on a temporary basis to ensure that care can be delivered as safely and compassionately as possible to patients.

“We have worked with partners across the health and care system to request mutual aid at times of worst pressures, to alleviate the impact and ensure patients get care as quickly and safely as possible this winter.

“We are grateful to all of our hardworking staff for their commitment during this period of extraordinary pressure, and we apologise to any patient whose care has not met our usual high standards due to the exceptional level of demand.”

Professor Nicola Ranger, the leader of the Royal College of Nursing, has slammed the measure as “desperate” and a direct blow to “affront to patient safety and dignity”.

She cautioned that the practice of employing “corridor” nurses was normalising substandard and unsafe care. A nurse, who wished to remain anonymous, working at a north London hospital revealed that patients couldn’t summon assistance as there were no call bells in the corridor.

The nurse disclosed that some staff resort to using sheets for privacy when patients need to use the toilet. As reported by The Sunday Times, an 80-year-old man who visited Whittington Hospital’s A&E last week had to urinate into a bottle due to mobility issues.

The man’s neighbour, who accompanied him to the hospital, described the situation as “so degrading” because “everyone could see what was going on”.

This comes as NHS trusts in England declared critical incidents this week due to a surge in flu cases. Critical incidents have been declared by at least 12 departments across seven NHS trusts, with Brits being advised to visit A&E alone and wear face masks.

An NHS England spokesperson stated: “The NHS is facing unprecedented demand for services, But we remain clear that caring for patients in temporary spaces is not acceptable and should never be considered as standard.”

There are concerns that cases may increase as children return to school and flu cases “skyrocketed” over the Christmas period, resulting in four times as many hospital admissions compared to the previous month.

Professor Julian Redhead, NHS England’s director of emergency care, said: “It’s too early to say it has definitively peaked. I would hope there would be a peak in the next one to two weeks.”