RCN warns nurses fear being taken to court over patient care

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has said nurses are concerned about patient safety and even fear court cases being brought against them for treating patients in corridors.

More than 500 specialist A&E nurses in the RCN’s emergency care association shared their experiences of overcrowded hospitals before its annual congress in Brighton which begins on Monday (May 15).

It says more than nine in 10 raised concerns that patients may be receiving unsafe care and that patient dignity, privacy and confidentiality is compromised.

Nine out of 10 nurses surveyed by the RCN were concerned patients may be receiving unsafe care (Image: Jeff Moore/PA Wire)

Before the congress, one emergency care nurse said: “Caring for patients in corridors is destroying staff morale.

“When you walk into the department and see 15-20 people in the queue, day in day out – you lose any hope it’s going to be a good shift.

“We’ve had to fit call bells and crash buzzers after people have had cardiac arrests in a corridor. Patients who are incontinent need pads changing but there’s no space or privacy to change them."

What action is the RCN recommending?

The RCN general secretary and chief executive, Pat Cullen has described the current situation at the NHS as a "bleak picture" and that patients in corridors is a sign that of a healthcare system "grinding to a halt".

She went on: "Governments must urgently plan and invest to reverse this new trend.

“Our members have told us they’re so concerned about patient safety being compromised that they are fearing court cases against them.

Pat Cullen has called for the Government to urgently plan to reverse the current predicament (Image: Lucy North/PA Wire)

“While any decision around a court case would take into context the particular pressures that a nurse is working within, these fears are evidence of just how unsafe conditions have become.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Everyone deserves access to the right care in the right place.

“That is why we are taking action to cut waiting lists, making it easier for patients to access a GP and have almost reached our target of delivering 26,000 additional primary care staff.

“Our Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery Plan will also mean people are seen quicker as we scale up community teams, expand virtual wards, and put 800 new ambulances on the road.