Responding to the publication of ‘The Model Emergency Department: high performing urgent and emergency care pathways’ RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger said:
“The overwhelming pressure seen in A&E, with patients waiting hours to be seen and treated on trollies and in corridors, is a blight on our NHS. This recognition of the problem and efforts to resolve it are a step in the right direction and a vindication of the alarm call from nursing staff.
“However, while it is helpful to have a clear set of guidelines, focusing on emergency departments alone will not be enough to eradicate the shameful practice of corridor care. This is a system-wide problem, with patients unable to access community, mental health or social care services when they need it and having no choice but to turn up at A&E, and requires transformation in every part of the system.
“The government and NHS leaders must restore the belief that change is possible. Eradicating corridor care starts with immediate investment in beds and the nursing workforce, especially in community and mental health services, which are vital for keeping people out of overwhelmed hospitals, as well as unlocking capacity in social care. Patients and nursing staff don’t have years to wait.”
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Notes to editorsNHS England - The Model Emergency Department: high performing urgent and emergency care pathways
