Caring for patients in corridors is becoming 'normalised' at the Royal Oldham Hospital, which faces a shortage of 55 beds as it tackles the summer surge.
Measures have been put in place at the hospital to reduce the risk of patients catching Covid and spreading other infections while they wait in the corridors.
Staff are available 24 hours a day to care for patients left in corridors as the hospital prioritises ‘privacy’ and ‘dignity’ for those who miss out on a bed.
The hospital has a 55-bed deficit for the population demands of Oldham according to modelling by the Northern Care Alliance (NCA) which runs it.
But chief executive Raj Jain told the board at a meeting on Monday (July 26) that plans for a £64m expansion of the hospital estate is still ‘some years off’.
His comments came after NCA vice-chair Chris Mayer questioned whether corridor care is now becoming ‘normalised’ at the Royal Oldham Hospital.
He said: “The senior leadership of Oldham do not accept corridor care.
“We’re regularly working through in Oldham what our mitigations are around the urgent care system to make sure it is working in the best way possible.”
The NHS group which runs this hospital, alongside Salford Royal, Fairfield and Rochdale Infirmary, has already approved a £28m four-storey extension plan.
The proposed extension for The Royal Oldham Hospital. Photo: Northern Care Alliance.
A further extension, known as Phase 4B, is due to be signed off later this year.
It is hoped that this will be part of the solution to the bed deficit at the hospital.
Chief delivery officer Jude Adams told the board that the hospital has been working with the North West Ambulance Service to reduce handover times.
She said: “Whilst accepting that corridor care is not ideal, neither is care in an ambulance and holding up an ambulance for another patient.”
The hospital has been using the ambulatory care unit as part of its strategy to cut down ambulance handover times – but this can cause problems with ‘flow’.
Chief nursing officer Libby McManus said the hospital’s corridors have been ‘spaced out’ to keep patients safe with infection prevention control in mind.
And staff are available 24 hours a day to care for patients left in corridors.
She said: “We’ve taken time to alter that environment. I know that’s not the long-term solution.
“Whilst it’s not at all an ideal situation for patients, we ensure their privacy and dignity is a priority.”
An outline business case is being prepared for the Phase 4B extension and is expected to be approved by the end of September or beginning of October.
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