Over 10,000 call on Welsh Government to act as doctors warn of unsafe and undignified treatment in hospital corridors

MORE than ten thousand people across Wales have signed a petition demanding urgent action to end the growing practice of “corridor care” in NHS hospitals — including reports from Withybush Hospital where patients have been left waiting for treatment in chairs, trolleys and corridors due to lack of beds.

The petition, supported by both the British Medical Association (BMA) Cymru Wales and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Wales, was launched after hundreds of nurses and doctors came forward describing unsafe and undignified conditions. It has now been presented to the Welsh Government, and the issue is expected to be debated in the Senedd later this month.

‘Patients waiting on chairs for days’

Health staff say the problem, once confined to emergency departments, is now widespread across Welsh hospitals, including those serving Pembrokeshire.

One senior nurse told The Herald: “We’ve had elderly patients waiting on chairs in A&E for two or three days at a time. They can’t lie down, they can’t rest, and there’s no privacy. It’s awful for them and heartbreaking for staff.”

Doctors and nurses who contributed to the petition described distressing conditions:
“I have seen patients where diagnoses have been missed due to inadequate places to examine them,” said one doctor. Another added: “I routinely see patients on the back of an ambulance, patients whose treatments are delayed because there are no beds or cardiac monitoring spaces.”

Frontline frustration

Dr Manish Adke, chair of the BMA’s Welsh Consultants Committee, said:
“This overwhelming response sends an unequivocal message: the Welsh public, healthcare professionals and patients are united in their concern about the ongoing crisis of patients being treated in hospital corridors.

“This practice exposes vulnerable individuals to a lack of privacy, dignity and essential care, while staff struggle to deliver safe treatment without adequate equipment or support.”

RCN Wales National Director Helen Whyley said the petition’s closure “marks not the end, but the beginning of renewed efforts to restore dignity, safety and high-quality care to all patients in Wales.”

Four key demands

The petition calls for the Welsh Government to:

• Record and publish all instances of corridor care to ensure transparency and accountability.
• Pause any further reductions in hospital beds until safe alternatives are in place.
• Invest in community-based services so patients can be treated closer to home.
• Focus on prevention and early intervention to reduce hospital admissions.

Local impact

At Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest, staff say corridor care has become a regular feature of winter pressures — but now extends well beyond seasonal peaks.

Sources within Hywel Dda University Health Board told The Herald that emergency departments are frequently running at or above 100 per cent capacity, forcing staff to accommodate patients in waiting areas and temporary bays.

One healthcare assistant said: “It’s not uncommon for patients to be treated in corridors for entire shifts. Staff do their best, but it’s not safe. There’s no privacy, and we can’t always monitor patients properly.”

According to the latest NHS Wales performance data, more than 8,000 people waited over 12 hours in emergency departments across the country in September, including hundreds within the Hywel Dda region.

Government and health board response

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We recognise the pressures facing our health service and the immense effort being made by NHS staff. We are investing in measures to increase patient flow, expand same-day emergency care and improve discharge pathways so patients can leave hospital safely when ready.”

A Hywel Dda University Health Board spokesperson added: “Demand for urgent and emergency care remains exceptionally high across the region. Staff at Withybush Hospital and our other sites work tirelessly to maintain patient safety and dignity, and we continue to prioritise actions that reduce overcrowding, including community care initiatives and faster discharge processes.”

Political reaction

Welsh Conservative Shadow Health Minister Natasha Asghar MS said: “This is a symptom of a health service under immense strain. Corridor care should never become routine, and patients deserve better than to be treated in waiting rooms and corridors.”

Plaid Cymru’s health spokesperson, Mabon ap Gwynfor MS, added that chronic underfunding of social care was worsening hospital gridlock. “We need an integrated plan that tackles bed shortages and social care blockages together,” he said.

Senedd debate expected this month

The petition — signed by 10,533 people — will now be reviewed by the Senedd’s Petitions Committee before being debated later in November.

For frontline NHS workers in Pembrokeshire, the message is simple. As one nurse told The Herald: “Patients in corridors are not numbers. They’re people who deserve care, dignity and respect. We just want the system to let us do our jobs properly.”

THE MOVEMENT to redesign the economy around people and the planet rather than profit will take centre stage at the Wellbeing Economy Festival of Ideas 2025, being held at Swansea Arena on Wednesday, November 12.

Organised by Wellbeing Economy Cymru (WE Cymru) and supported by 4theRegion and partners across Wales, the event will explore what a fair, sustainable and inclusive economy could look like — and how Wales can lead the change.

The free, one-day festival is open to all, from community leaders and entrepreneurs to students and residents keen to help shape Wales’ economic future.

A call for systems change

WE Cymru says Wales stands at a crossroads. With the cost of living, climate change and inequality worsening, organisers argue the current economic model — focused on growth and extraction — is no longer sustainable.

They say Wales already has strong foundations for change, including the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, a thriving social enterprise network, and growing public interest in moving beyond GDP as the main measure of success.

Festival organisers describe the event as “a call to action”, bringing together thinkers, doers and community groups already putting wellbeing principles into practice.

What’s happening on the day

Keynote address from Derek Walker, the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales.

Panel discussions challenging traditional ideas about growth and progress.

Exhibitions showcasing Welsh community enterprises, social businesses and local wealth-building projects.

An interactive Open Space session where attendees set the agenda and collaborate on live ideas.

The event will also feature policymakers, academics, local authorities and grassroots organisations discussing how community wealth-building, circular economy models and social enterprise can support jobs, services and climate goals.

Timely debate

Festival director Dawn Lyle, co-founder of 4theRegion, said: “This event could not be more timely. People are struggling with daily costs while billionaires get tax breaks. We can’t fix inequality or the climate crisis without tackling the systems that create them.”

Sian Jones, chair of WE Cymru, added: “Wales is part of the global Wellbeing Economy Alliance and the Wellbeing Economy Governments Organisation. We have a real opportunity to lead on economic development that genuinely delivers for people and communities.”

Mary Sherwood from the Poverty Insight Lab said: “Economic inequality needs to be challenged if we’re serious about wellbeing. We’re bringing the voices of people on low incomes to this event — those whose experiences must shape real change.”

David Kershaw, MD of Posterity Global, one of the exhibitors, said: “I loved last year’s festival. This year, I’m bringing public procurement to the table — because it’s time we saw spending as investing in our shared future.”

Emma Musgrave, of Purple Shoots, added: “We’re excited to show how enterprise can tackle poverty — taking real, concrete action right now.”

Details

Date: Wednesday 12 November 2025
Venue: Swansea Arena, Swansea
Registration: Free, limited spaces – wellbeingeconomy.cymru

A PUBLIC consultation on the potential closure of a Pembrokeshire school, severely damaged in a fire just over three years ago, has now been launched.

Manorbier Church in Wales VC School and its adjoining schoolhouse was severely damaged by a fire on October 11, 2022, which broke out in the school roof space.

After that, a ‘school from school’ was set up in Jameston Village Hall.

It had been hoped the school would be rebuilt, but earlier this year members of Pembrokeshire County Council backed a report of the School Modernisation Working Group which, amongst other recommendations, included a statutory consultation on proposals to discontinue Manorbier Church in Wales Voluntary Controlled School.

The decision attracted strong local opposition, with more than 1,200 people to date signing a petition on the council’s own website calling for the school to be rebuilt.

At the July meeting, St Davids Diocesan Board of Finance (DBF) said it had always required that the school be reinstated and was against the proposal to discontinue Manorbier, asking: “Would a consultation on the closure of Manorbier VC School have been proposed had it not been ravaged by fire?”

Earlier this year councillors heard Manorbier has seen “a 59.8 per cent decline in the school’s pupil population during the period 2015-2025, with no indication that this will be significantly reversed during the next 5-6 years,” a report for members said, adding: “This decline cannot be attributed wholly to the fire which occurred in October 2022, with a 30.7 per cent decline from 2015 to 2022.”

It added: “The school’s capacity is 86 but there has been an increasing level of surplus places at the school, reaching 74.4 per cent in 2025. The school has been in a position of having significant surplus places (>25 per cent) for at least seven years.”

It said that most children living in the Manorbier school catchment attend other schools in the area, in 2024 only 15 children (18.5 per cent) living in the school’s catchment attended Manorbier school.

The capital cost of rebuilding Manorbier VC School, at the time of that meeting, was estimated to be £2.6 million.

At the July meeting, local member Cllr Phil Kidney said the diocese’s response “shows the council in a very bad light, steamrolling the closure no matter what”.

He added: “Of course we should rebuild this school,” adding: “We have an obligation to rebuild this school, it’s time to make the right decisions.”

Cabinet member for education Cllr Guy Woodham responded, saying a consultation was not a done deal: “We’re not at a situation yet where any decision has been taken; I can’t agree we’re ‘steamrolling’ it through.”

The formal consultation for the discontinuation of Manorbier Church in Wales voluntary controlled school opened on November 5 and runs until December 19.

The report is available on the council’s website, and hard copies are obtainable on request at [email protected] or by calling 01437 775164.

At the end of the consultation the feedback will be presented to a future meeting of the county council, members then considering whether to proceed with the proposal or not.

Photos: Martin Cavaney/Herald