MP calls for “end to corridor care” after shocking rise in 12-hours on trolleys

Thornbury & Yate MP Claire Young has called for action to end corridor care this Parliament, after research by the House of Commons Library commissioned for the Liberal Democrats found that 1,433 people were left facing 12 hours waits on hospital trolleys under the North Bristol NHS Trust this winter.

A trolley wait commonly refers to the time a patient spends in A&E following a decision being made to admit them to hospital. The 1,433 patients left waiting for 12 hours or longer was a 89.8% increase on last winter’s figure of 755 patients.

It comes following a speech by the Lib Dems Health and Social Care spokesperson Daisy Cooper at the Party’s Spring Conference last month, in which she challenged the Labour government to end corridor care by the end of the Parliament.

The Party has said this could be achieved through a taskforce which would ‘winter proof’ the NHS from future seasonal crises. It would be backed by a £1.5 billion ringfenced fund to ensure that hospitals can prepare for the surge in patients before it happens.

This call has been echoed by local MP Claire Young, who has said that patients across the area should not have to "suffer through the indignity of corridor care” and urging swift action.

Commenting, Thornbury & Yate MP Claire Young said:

“Over the winter I have heard harrowing stories of people being left suffering through endless waits in A&E.

“Years of shameful Conservative neglect has pushed our NHS to the brink, but we should not accept this as the new normal. We must make sure we tackle the challenges and support our hardworking frontline staff, so they can bring waiting times down.

“That is why I am joining with my Liberal Democrat colleagues in calling for an end to prolonged trolley waits. People deserve to be seen quickly, in an environment that is built to deliver treatment - not in overcrowded corridors.

“It is now down to this Labour government to step up and show the same ambition for patients across our area. To bury their heads in the sand and carry on as normal would be a complete dereliction of duty.”