A report has revealed that poor care contributed to the death of a patient in an A&E corridor at Royal Blackburn Hospital, part of East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT). The trust reported an average of 30 patients being treated in the emergency department (ED) corridor, with 14 in resus and 24 on the main hospital corridor.
Trust chief executive Martin Hodgson described the hospital as having 'one of the busiest emergency departments in England'. He stated that when all cubicles are full, using corridor space is the only option, adding, 'It is not something any of us want to do.'
The patient's death was disclosed in papers for a March trust board meeting, which also detailed a second death in the ED. The report noted 'two deaths in ED, one bathroom collapse and one on the corridor linked to poor care'. Hodgson declined to discuss individual cases but acknowledged staff were under 'significant pressure, in difficult circumstances'.
Lord Russ Mclean, chairman of East Lancashire's Patient Voices Group, expressed devastation but not surprise at the findings. He said, 'Waiting on a hospital corridor for NHS treatment in 2024 is not right in any civilised society.' He added that while assured no patient is left unattended, the deaths were heartbreaking.
