Why is Labour being so unserious when it comes to "corridor care"?

Nobody seem to be talking about how utterly unserious this Labour government is being when it comes to NHS “corridor care”. And when something so inhumane has become an accepted norm, I’m afraid it’s time for a rant…

The term “corridor care” sounds fairly neutral, doesn’t it? Almost harmless. It gives the impression that a patient has just been popped into the wrong place temporarily. “Oops! Sorry! Just wait a minute in the corridor while we sort out a hospital bed for you!”.

But corridor care is not neutral, and it is far from harmless.

Corridor care refers to the appalling practice of treating patients in inappropriate areas in NHS hospitals. It happens because politicians have under-resourced the health service to the point that it is increasingly impossible to discharge patients safely home from hospital, and there is now insufficient space in key areas.

A&Es are overcrowded. Hospital wards become jammed with patients who are ready to go home but can’t because of the social care crisis. Ambulances can’t offload patients, because of understaffing and a lack of space.

Patients, of course, have not started becoming less sick to fit in with this mismanagement, and so they continue to arrive at hospital, and are put wherever there *is* room; and increasingly this is in places wholly unsuitable for anyone to receive treatment.

In corridors. In store cupboards. In car parks. Even in toilets. And for many patients, these places aren’t a quick pitstop. Some patients will be there for days. Some patients will receive life-saving treatment in these locations. Some patients are even *dying* in these non-clinical areas. It is an absolute travesty and should be treated as a national emergency…