Responding to Liberal Democrat figures showing more than one million people waited over 12 hours in A&E in England this year, RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger, said:
“Dangerously long waits have become normalised in our NHS, whilst nursing staff are forced to deliver unsafe care in corridors. They are overworked, understaffed and professionally demoralised. The government needs to step in ahead of winter and prevent this patient safety crisis worsening.
“Ministers are right to want to shift care out of the hospital and into the community. This can help reduce pressures on emergency departments in particular. But nursing staff and patients need action right now. Investment in nursing is crucial, as is the mandatory reporting of corridor care.”
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