North Wales Health Board Faces Pressure Over Corridor Care Issues

The North Wales Health Board is under increasing scrutiny as local officials decry the use of corridor care in hospitals, describing the situation as a “health emergency.” During a meeting at Conwy County Council’s Coed Pella headquarters, leader Cllr Julie Fallon expressed her frustration with the National Health Service (NHS), stating that patients are being placed in hospital corridors, extending the ongoing issue beyond just Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments.

Cllr Fallon emphasized that “enough is enough,” criticizing the lack of response from Carol Shillabeer, chief executive of the health board, and Jeremy Miles, the Welsh Government Health Minister. Their silence followed a letter sent on behalf of all six local authorities, which raised serious concerns regarding healthcare standards in North Wales. In response to these frustrations, the council unanimously passed a motion calling for several urgent actions. These include reopening community hospital beds, ending corridor care in emergency departments, halting premature patient discharges, and reviving the stalled Conwy West Health Centre project along with its funding.

In a statement addressing the matter, Tehmeena Ajmal, chief operating officer of the health board, acknowledged the significant pressures facing urgent and emergency care in the region. She noted that the health board is collaborating with local authority partners to implement necessary improvements. “Reducing the use of corridor care and improving patient flow and discharge from hospital is a collective priority and hence this is the Health Board’s top operational goal,” Ajmal stated.

The health board has faced accusations that a new policy might be facilitating the routine use of corridor care throughout North Wales. However, Ajmal clarified that no such policy has been introduced. The health board has implemented a standard operating procedure (SOP) for transferring patients to wards only in “exceptional and extreme circumstances.” This procedure allows for a maximum of two patients per ward, provided a risk assessment indicates it is safe and that overcrowding in the Emergency Department poses a significant risk to patient safety. As of now, Ajmal confirmed that it has not been necessary to enact this SOP.

As the region navigates what is expected to be a challenging winter period, Ajmal reiterated that “the safety, dignity, and wellbeing of our patients, and the support of our staff, remain our highest priority.”

In response to the council’s concerns, a spokesman for the Welsh Government highlighted that the health board remains under the highest level of special measures. He noted that NHS waiting lists have decreased and emphasized the importance of reducing long stays in emergency departments. “We have set clear expectations for all health boards to reduce emergency department long stays and complete ambulance handovers within 45 minutes,” he stated.

This year alone, the government has invested more than £200 million to manage more patients in the community and reduce hospital admissions. Although the proportion of patients discharged or admitted within four hours fell in December 2024, ambulance patient handover delays exceeding one hour decreased by 43% compared to the previous year. The average time from arrival to triage was reported as 16 minutes, marking the best performance since February 2021.

As the situation develops, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board continues to remain at the highest escalation level, with additional measures instituted to ensure improvements in patient care and address the ongoing concerns from local authorities.