Health

Patients treated in store cupboards as corridor care ‘normalised’

Published

3 months ago

December 12, 2025

PATIENTS are being treated in store cupboards, break rooms and toilets as so-called corridor care becomes the norm in Welsh hospitals, the Senedd has heard.

Senedd Members warned treating patients in inappropriate areas has become a “daily reality” rather than an exception as they debated calls for the practice to be eradicated.

The debate was prompted by a petition – submitted by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and British Medical Association (BMA) – which gathered more than 10,000 signatures.

Petitioners demanded that keeping patients on trolleys or chairs for a long time be formally classified as a “never event” – a serious, preventable safety incident that should not happen.

But the Welsh Government rejected the calls, arguing the strict definition of a “never event” applies only to preventable medical mistakes – not systemic capacity pressures.

The petition urged ministers to start reporting on corridor care, pause reductions in hospital beds, invest in community care, and prioritise prevention and early intervention.

Sharing her own experience, Reform UK’s Laura Anne Jones argued corridor care is one of the clearest signs of a health service that has been allowed to fall into crisis.

Reform UK's South Wales East MS Laura Anne Jones — Reform UK’s South Wales East MS Laura Anne Jones

“I was placed on a broken bed in a corridor for two nights before a room became available,” she said. “I was in too much pain to care at the time but those caring for me said how completely inappropriate it was and kept apologising for it.”

Ms Jones added: “I could hear private conversations between consultants, doctors and nurses about other patients. And I was right against a curtainless window… there was no dignity, no privacy, and that’s just not OK.”

The Conservatives’ Joel James told the Senedd thousands of patients are now being treated on trolleys in corridors, in ambulances, store cupboards and other places not meant for care. “This is putting life at risk,” he said. “They are being treated without proper facilities.”

Mr James warned: “NHS Wales doesn’t even collect data on who is being treated in a corridor. That frankly should surprise no-one, as Welsh Labour’s philosophy has always been, if you don’t measure it, then there is no evidence to pin you down on it.”

His Tory colleague Janet Finch-Saunders said: “I even know of situations where a paramedic will leave a patient in an ambulance with a new paramedic coming on. When that paramedic comes back on the next shift, the same patient is still in that ambulance

“How can that be morally right? It’s inhumane, it’s cruel and it’s certainly unacceptable.”

Mabon ap Gwynfor, Plaid Cymru’s shadow health secretary, warned the “demeaning and dangerous” practice has become an “almost inescapable” part of hospital care.

“What should be the exception has now been normalised,” he said.

Rhys ab Owen, who sits as an independent, highlighted reports of patients being cared for in “car parks, break rooms and even toilets”.

Labour’s Carolyn Thomas, who chairs the Senedd’s petitions committee, warned that RCN and BMA members view corridor care as a “systemic national crisis”.

Responding to the debate on Wednesday December 10, Jeremy Miles acknowledged that corridor care “compromises patient dignity and staff wellbeing”.

But Wales’ health secretary insisted that designating corridor care as a “never event” was not the solution. “The delivery of care in undesignated or non-clinical environments doesn’t meet the criteria due to the complexity of underlying causes,” he said.

Mr Miles told the Senedd: “We do not endorse routine care in non-clinical environments. Our goal is to eliminate this practice through system-wide reform.

“Eradicating care in undesignated or non-clinical environments will not be a simple quick fix. It requires co-ordinated action across health and social care.”

Health

Welsh Ambulance Service to host bi-monthly Board meeting

Published

2 days ago

March 13, 2026

Tom Sinclair

THE WELSH AMBULANCE SERVICE is preparing to host its bi-monthly Board meeting – and the public are invited.

Join the meeting on Thursday 26 March via Microsoft Teams to hear senior leaders cover a full agenda, including approval of the Integrated Medium-Term Plan for 2026-29, which outlines what the organisation will prioritise and deliver, how it will use its resources and how it will continue to improve care for the people of Wales over the next three years.

Board members will approve the initial revenue budget for the year ahead and receive an update on current financial performance.

The Board will also hear from Mr Clarke from Cwmbran, who describes an experience of trying to access help via 999 for his late father who was terminally ill.

There will also be an opportunity to pose a question to the Board.

Chair Colin Dennis said: “Board meetings give you the opportunity to really get to know our ambulance service, with a clear view of how important decisions are shaped and the processes behind them.

“They also create a forum to hear directly about ongoing work, explore how we can strengthen support for the Trust’s staff and patients, and connect with the people responsible for shaping those decisions.”

Click here to watch the Board meeting on Thursday 26 March 2026 from 9.30am.

This link will be active from 10 minutes before the meeting starts.

To pre-submit a question, please email [email protected] by no later than Wednesday 25 March 2026.An agenda will be available on the Trust’s website in the days prior to the meeting.

Health

Pharmacies carry out record number of consultations for common health issues

Published

2 days ago

March 13, 2026

Tom Sinclair

PHARMACIES across Wales carried out more than 600,000 clinical consultations for a wide range of common health issues over the last twelve months, according to the latest community pharmacy services statistics.

Almost 346,000 people used the Common Ailments Service, which offers free advice and treatment for twenty-seven common conditions and is available in ninety-nine per cent of pharmacies across Wales.

Figures covering April 2024 to March 2025 show that more than 462,000 Common Ailments Service consultations took place during the period – the highest number ever recorded.

The most frequent reasons people sought help from their local pharmacy included sore throats, hay fever, conjunctivitis and dermatitis.

Pharmacies also carried out more than 53,000 consultations specifically for sore throat treatment, around 33,000 consultations for contraception advice and treatment, and over 121,000 consultations to provide emergency supplies of medicines.

During those emergency consultations pharmacists issued more than 189,000 prescription-only medicines to patients who had run out of medication and were unable to obtain a new prescription in time.

In addition to these consultations, pharmacies across Wales dispensed more than eighty million prescription items over the same twelve-month period.

The Common Ailments Service allows people to receive treatment closer to home while helping free up GP appointments for patients with more complex or urgent medical needs.

Health Secretary Jeremy Miles said: “Community pharmacies play a vital role in providing healthcare across Wales.

“Nearly half a million consultations in a single year shows just how much people value being able to walk into their local pharmacy and get the help they need quickly, without having to wait for a GP appointment.

“We are working to ensure more people can receive convenient care closer to home, and expanding access to these services is a key part of that.

“The right care, in the right place, at the right time — that is what people in Wales want, and what our pharmacies are delivering.”

Community

Lessons from COVID-19 highlight need to strengthen voluntary sector resilience

Published

2 days ago

March 13, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A NEW report has urged the Welsh Government to work more closely with voluntary organisations to ensure communities are better prepared for future emergencies.

The call comes from the Senedd’s Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee, which examined how lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic have shaped Wales’ current emergency planning.

The report highlights the crucial role played by voluntary groups during the pandemic, particularly in supporting vulnerable people and responding quickly to rising community needs.

Clair Swales, Chief Executive of the Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations (PAVO), welcomed the committee’s findings and its recommendation that government bodies strengthen collaboration with the voluntary sector and commissioning organisations.

The recommendation includes making greater use of long-term funding arrangements to support infrastructure investment and improve the sector’s ability to respond to sudden surges in demand during emergencies.

Giving evidence to the committee last November, Swales warned that continued financial pressures across the sector could weaken its ability to respond effectively in future crises.

She said: “If I was asked to bring the third sector together to respond to an emergency at this moment, I could. However, future involvement may become more challenging as the sector continues to face significant financial and capacity pressures.”

The committee’s report, published on Tuesday (Mar 11), explored how the Welsh Government and public bodies responded to the pandemic and what improvements have been made since.

It also considered findings from Module 1 of the UK COVID-19 Inquiry, which examined resilience and preparedness across the UK.

Swales said the report recognises that the work carried out by voluntary organisations during the pandemic came at a significant cost to the sector.

She added: “Evidence from a number of voluntary organisations shows the sector is facing considerable funding and resource challenges.

“We will continue to work with commissioners and the Powys third sector to maximise opportunities, represent the sector’s voice in policy and investment discussions, and ensure rural communities are considered when funding and commissioning services.”

The report has been submitted to the Welsh Government and will be debated by Members of the Senedd during a plenary session on Wednesday (Mar 18).

Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations is the County Voluntary Council for Powys and operates offices in Newtown and Llandrindod Wells.