Ambulance and Corridor Care Sparks Union Outcry Over Patient Safety
Union condemns use of ambulances as treatment rooms, citing patient safety risks amid NHS delays.
POLICY WIRE — London, United Kingdom — A growing concern over the use of ambulances and hospital corridors as makeshift treatment spaces has been raised by a major union, highlighting serious safety issues for patients.
A recent report reveals that prolonged delays in transferring patients from ambulances to hospitals have led to worsening conditions, with some cases resulting in fatalities. Sharan Bandesha, the national ambulance officer for Unison, criticized the practice, calling it unsafe and unacceptable, particularly when urgent medical attention is required.
📄 POLICY WIRE WHITEPAPER PUBLISHED: PAKISTAN’S NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY PRIORITIES
Despite the concerns, some NHS leaders argue that corridor care helps free up ambulances and can save lives. However, the current waiting list for NHS treatments in England has reached 7.5 million, raising questions about the long-term viability of such practices. Unison insists that ambulance staff are no longer able to perform their core duty of delivering timely life-saving care.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
