Hospital patients in East Yorkshire have reacted to a damning report into the current capacity of the NHS.
It comes as the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) revealed that patients are dying undiscovered in hospital corridors and being treated in cupboards and bathrooms across NHS hospitals.
Nurses say patients are dying in corridors and pregnant women are miscarrying in side rooms as overwhelmed hospitals struggle to cope.
The 460-page document, based on testimony from more than 5,000 nursing staff, highlights widespread “corridor care” has become normalised in England’s hospitals.
Anthony Scruton was visiting the hospital to discuss his knee surgery and told GB News that he opposes any potential closures on the site and is shocked at the recent report showing lack of capacity in the NHS
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GB News spoke to patients at Goole District Hospital, where this week hundreds of people gathered amid speculation about the future of the town’s hospital.
It came as concerns were raised last month when staff claimed they were told parts of the site would close, with an online petition to save inpatient facilities at Goole amassing more than 10,000 signatures.
Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust say no firm decisions have yet been taken.
Anthony Scruton was visiting the hospital to discuss his knee surgery and told GB News that he opposes any potential closures on the site and is shocked at the recent report showing lack of capacity in the NHS.
“In [19]99, we had over 290,000 beds in this country, and now we’ve got 100,000,” he said.
“It’s ridiculous, but that’s politicians for you, isn’t it. I don’t think they’re doing it right. They seem to be spending money on ticking boxes rather than treating people, and people are important.
“They should be putting more money into national health and it should be looked after.
“It’s outrageous, it shouldn’t be like this in this day and age. People need care, so we should have it. We deserve it.”
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Helen Haslam works as a medical secretary in the NHS and is shocked by the report
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A survey of NHS nursing staff found that 67 per cent are delivering care every day in overcrowded or unsuitable places, with more than nine in 10 saying care is unsafe.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said evidence provided by more than 5,000 of its members across the UK this winter also showed cupboards, car parks, bathrooms and nursing stations were being turned into makeshift areas for patients.
Nurses warned such practices put patients at risk as staff were unable to access vital equipment such as oxygen, heart monitors and suction equipment, and did not have the time and space to provide CPR.
Helen Haslam works as a medical secretary in the NHS and is shocked by the report. She also opposes to any potential closure of Goole District Hospital.
At the hospital, she told GB News: “I just think the hospitals are far too busy. There’s a lot of pressure on them. I actually work for NHS and I’ve seen it myself.
“When my dad was ill and had to go to hospital, and I was there waiting with him for six hours in an ambulance just to get into A&E. It’s just getting ridiculous. They need more staff. They need more hospitals not to be closing the ones where they’ve got the beds.”
Another patient added: “They should have the beds and the doctors and nurses. They do what they can.”
The site in Goole is classed as a small community hospital by the trust and provides specialist rehabilitation services for brain injuries and ophthalmology treatment. It also has an urgent treatment centre.
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A spokesperson for Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust: “Work to look at future options and opportunities for Goole and District Hospital is at the very early stages, and as such there are no firm proposals to discuss yet and no decisions have been taken.
“We do acknowledge this news has caused some concern among local people, and has led to some disinformation being circulated.
“We are, however, committed to involving staff, patients and partners, and the staff meeting which took place on Monday was part of this.”
Addressing the Royal College of Nursing report, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he agreed the problems should not be tolerated, but laid the blame on the previous government.
But RCN general secretary Prof Nicola Ranger said the findings should act as a “wake-up call” to Labour. She called the report “harrowing” and said staff were leaving because they “cannot do it any more.”
Duncan Burton, chief nursing officer for England, acknowledged the extreme pressures on services, particularly in recent months during “one of the toughest winters the NHS has experienced.”
Burton emphasised that building a health service fit for the future remains a key priority, adding that the NHS is “continuing to work hard to deliver improvements across urgent and emergency care.”
He added that the impact on patients and staff highlighted by the RCN report “should never be considered the standard to which the NHS aspires.”
