The Royal College of Nursing’s (RCN) report, ‘On the Frontline of the UK’s Corridor Care Crisis’ highlighted the ongoing crisis in hospitals across Wales, because people are being treated, as the RCN describe, in ‘unsafe, undignified and unacceptable environments’.
Staggeringly, the former First Minister of Wales, and current Labour Finance Secretary, Mark Drakeford, said, “If you're asking me, if I had a blank sheet of paper and could just do the things I think needed to be done, we would have fewer hospitals in Wales.” He went on further to say, “We have too many hospitals and too many beds.”
In this report, the Royal College of Nursing Wales have made eight recommendations to the Welsh Labour Government, to ensure action and transparency on corridor care in Wales.
In the Senedd on Wednesday, the Welsh Conservatives brought forward a debate calling on the Welsh Labour Government to enact the Royal College of Nursing’s eight recommendations. Labour Senedd Members voted against this motion, with the Welsh Conservatives describing this decision as “unbelievable”.
Commenting following the debate, Welsh Conservative Shadow Secretary for Health and Social Care, James Evans MS, said:
“This decision by Labour to oppose the Royal College of Nursing’s recommendations is unbelievable. The recommendations are common sense and by no means controversial.
“Instead of accepting these proposals or providing any alternative, the Welsh Labour Government seem intent on allowing the corridor crisis to continue, with the knock-on effects on ambulance and treatment waits in the Welsh NHS.
“The Welsh Conservatives will not rest until Labour is turfed out of office, because it’s clear that only we can fix the Welsh NHS.”
The motion which was debated read:
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Notes the Ending corridor care in Wales report published by the Royal College of Nursing Wales.
2. Regrets that people in Welsh hospitals are being treated in unsafe, undignified and unacceptable environments.
3. Calls on the Welsh Government to enact the report's eight recommendations in full.
