'Patients are collapsing in the waiting room': A&E nurses speak out

The UK's National Health Service (NHS) is facing severe winter pressures, with over a dozen hospitals across the UK declaring major incidents as of Wednesday. To coincide with a special report day, the BBC interviewed nurses in emergency rooms to understand how they are coping with the surge in demand.

Lorraine, a nurse in Birmingham, stated on BBC Radio 5 Live on Tuesday, "Patients are collapsing in the waiting room, it's absolute chaos." Joanne, a nurse in a Manchester emergency room, said, "This is happening in emergency rooms across the country, the situation in emergency rooms is now critical." She also stated, "The government needs to take urgent action, we need help."

A nurse who did not want to reveal her hospital said that her emergency room had 58 patients waiting in the hallways on Tuesday night due to a lack of beds. She said that this situation is happening every day. Lorraine, a nurse working the night shift in Birmingham, said that the elderly and retirees are the most affected. "Some 90-year-old women have waited 24 hours for a bed," she said. "We do our best, but what can we do if there are no beds? We can only make the old lady as comfortable as possible and make sure she's okay. But there are just no beds."

Lorraine described the "chaotic" scenes inside the wards, and how "there are ambulances lined up outside, it's absolute chaos." She felt sorry for the paramedics who are forced to keep patients in ambulances for "long periods of time" due to the lack of space in hospitals. "When we bring them in, they need beds, but there are no beds. It's really bad." UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer visited a hospital in southeast London on Monday and announced a new plan involving the private healthcare sector to help reduce appointment waiting times. But nurses like Lorraine say he needs to see the reality of what is currently happening in emergency rooms.

Lorraine said, "The Prime Minister should sit in the waiting room, see the abuse we are getting, see the poor old ladies and retirees, see the young people who are trying to commit suicide, see the people who are collapsing in the waiting room and going into cardiac arrest. It is 2025, we should not be seeing this." Health Secretary Wes Streeting said on Wednesday that he was ashamed of the crisis of "patients stuck in hospital corridors," but said the situation did not seem likely to improve soon. NHS leaders say the hospital system is under immense pressure due to a surge in flu cases, with around 5,000 cases being reported daily.

Lorraine in Birmingham had just finished her night shift when she was interviewed by the BBC. "The wait times are over 14 hours, it's absolutely terrifying," she said. She said that staff have to work 12-hour shifts without even a break. The backlog in emergency care is putting additional pressure on specialist teams, with patients waiting for surgery and other procedures. She said, "When you walk into the waiting room to call a patient, there will be about 20 people there, and they will attack you, saying, 'Where is the doctor, where are my blood test results, I need the results.' Because they are sick, and you have to understand why they are a bit angry."

Talking about her next shift starting on Tuesday night, Lorraine said, "I'm really scared because last night was the worst night. But I will try to get some sleep and then go to work positively. I just want to help people."