Patients are being treated in cupboards

Patients are being treated in mop cupboards, storerooms, and in one case, even a kitchen because wards are full, a survey of nurses has revealed.

In the survey of over 900 nurses for Nursing Times, 63% of nurses said they were aware of patients at their hospital being treated in areas not designed for clinical care. These also included TV/day rooms, corridors and wards which had been decommissioned or which were already full.

Almost eight in 10 nurses (79%) thought that patients' safety is put at risk, as patients are without access to call bells, water and suction facilities and the emergency equipment available on wards, and are also at a greater risk of infection.

One nurse commented:"Areas used to accommodate patients are also used as storage areas and therefore have linen and spare equipment in them. One patient described it as an overspill car park."

Another said: "If a patients condition suddenly deteriorated resulting in them having a cardiac arrest we would not be able to get the crash trolley to them."

Of the 63% of nurses who said they were aware of patients at their hospital being treated in areas not designed for clinical care, nearly 60% said it happened more than once a week.

Although 83% of the nurses surveyed said they had informed senior staff members about was happening, only 4% said it made a difference.

Commenting on the survey in Nursing Times, a Department of Health spokesman said: Any nurse who is concerned about any risk to their patients ahould report their concerns to their manager, in writing if necessary.

"The vast majority of NHS patients experience good quality, safe and effective care."

This article was published on Tue 9 March 2010