The elderly woman’s ordeal was shared as it was warned corridor care in hospitals “should not be normalised”
Lord Chris Rennard speaking in the House of Lords(Image: PARLIAMENT TV)
A peer has told Parliament his 110-year-old mum-in-law spent the night on a trolley in a Liverpool hospital corridor, “deprived” of food and drink due to a lack of available beds. Liberal Democrat Lord Chris Rennard shared his elderly relative’s ordeal from last year while challenging the government on measures being implemented to release patient spaces on wards.
Shortages within social care have contributed to the bed-blocking crisis affecting hospitals. Ministers have emphasised that corridor care in hospitals “should not be normalised”, though admitted it cannot be completely eradicated.
The Labour front bench highlighted schemes underway to boost the number of patients discharged within 72 hours. Lord Rennard said: “My mother-in-law, Molly, is 110.” Following peers’ reactions, he added: “I shall pass on your best wishes to her.
“Last year, she was taken ill and the ambulance took her to a Liverpool hospital in the early afternoon, but, after some tests, no bed could be found for her. She spent the rest of the day and all of the night on a trolley in a corridor.
“Every hour throughout the night she was moved along, deprived of sleep and the basic provisions, including food and drink, which she would have had on a ward.
“What are the government now doing to tackle the problem of delayed transfer of care, which results in fewer beds being available? Does the minister accept that this can be done only by properly resourcing adult social care?”
Responding to concerns, health minister Baroness Merron said: “I agree with the need for more adult social care, but there is a whole range of factors that affect discharge delays, including the number of people who present.
“What he outlined was not right and not the way in which his mother-in-law should have been dealt with.”
She added: “I know he would not expect me to comment further on individual circumstances, but if somebody is being considered for corridor care, that should be appropriately risk-assessed by clinical teams.
“The exact point he made is something that I have asked about. There should be a named nurse, and the provisions he talked about, such as food and drink, should have been there.”
Baroness Watkins of Tavistock, a former professor of nursing, highlighted the necessity for a long-term delivery strategy “to restore year-round resilience” within the healthcare system.
The independent crossbencher said: “Unnecessary stays in hospital are linked to worse patient outcomes, and it should be possible to reduce the nearly 13,000 beds occupied on average each day in 2025 by people medically fit for discharge, in turn reducing the need for corridor care.”
Lady Merron added: “Let me say at the outset that corridor care should not be normalised. It is not what we want to see as routine.
“The reality is that we cannot eliminate it entirely – I think that is understood – but the current situation is not as we would want it to be.”
Highlighting measures to enhance the circumstances, the minister added: “The introduction of clinical guidelines for the first 72 hours will also increase the proportion of people discharged within 72 hours.”