Corridor care has been “normalised” at Bridgend’s Princess of Wales Hospital, according to a coroner’s report into preventing future deaths.
The report was filed after the conclusion of an inquest into the death of 16-year-old Jackson Yeow at another hospital following a nine-and-a-half-hour wait for an ambulance.
While Mr Yeow was not directly treated at Bridgend’s Princess of Wales Hospital, the inquest heard evidence from a consultant in emergency medicine regarding delays in ambulance handovers at the hospital.
Last week, a “harrowing” report by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) found almost seven in 10 of the UK’s nursing staff (66.81%) were delivering care in spaces including converted cupboards and corridors on a daily basis.
Responding to the report, Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board, which operates the Princess of Wales Hospital, said that while it was “facing significant demand across all of [its] services”, staff did “not routinely care for patients on trolleys in corridors”.
Nine-and-a-half-hour wait
An inquest previously concluded that Mr Yeow died of diabetic ketoacidosis – where a lack of insulin causes harmful substances called ketones to build up in the blood – after a nine-and-a-half-hour wait for an ambulance.
On 28 March 2022, the 16-year-old, who lived with autistic spectrum disorder, was assessed by a GP and diagnosed with suspected gastritis.
On 4 April, his symptoms had worsened and was unable to leave home to attend an in-person consultation with a GP, so his mother called for an ambulance at 12.13pm.
An ambulance service was not allocated until after Mr Yeow became unconscious at about 7.30pm, with a crew attending at 8pm.
He received intensive treatment for diabetic ketoacidosis at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, but later died on 9 April.
‘Significant demand’
During his inquest, the ambulance service said its ability to respond to the call had been “substantially impaired” because a significant number of its ambulance crews were delayed at hospitals waiting to hand over patients.
Although the Cwm Taf Health Board did not provide direct care to Jackson when he was taken ill, his inquest was told about the effect of delays in ambulance handovers at the board’s Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend.
Assistant coroner for South Wales Central, David Regan, noted in his report that one matter of concern for him was that care for patients in the Princess of Wales Hospital’s emergency department was often provided in corridors.
Patient care in such spaces had been “normalised” at the hospital, Mr Regan noted, which the consultant who gave evidence said was unsafe.
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Mr Regan said action should be taken to prevent future deaths and the health board had until 14 March to respond to the concerns raised in the report.
A spokesperson for Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board said it was “facing significant demand across all of [its] services”.
“However, we strive to treat patients in dedicated treatment areas and do not routinely care for patients on trolleys in corridors,” they added.
The spokesperson said the board would respond accordingly to the coroner’s report and would work with hospital staff to “fully understand the issues referred to in this evidence”.
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A Welsh government spokesperson said it “[did] not endorse the routine care or treatment of individuals in non-clinical or unsuitable environments”.
The spokesperson said there were occasions when the NHS faced “exceptional pressures”, which were “not unique to Wales”.
