Sue Ryder comments on The Royal College of Nursing report highlighting overwhelmed UK hospitals

More than 5,000 of its members provided evidence to the report, "On the Frontline of the UK's Corridor Care Crisis", which included stories of people dying in hospital corridors and going undiscovered for hours.

Other shocking stories include people miscarrying in side rooms, and cupboards, car parks and bathrooms being used to deliver care.

James Sanderson, Chief Executive of Sue Ryder, said:

"Reading the latest accounts of people dying alone and unnoticed in corridors is deeply concerning. This is not what any one of us would want for ourselves or for the people we love.

"Currently 43% of people die in hospital, often because people have not been able to access the care they need from elsewhere. This forces them into hospital, adding further strain to the NHS.

“Stories like those we are hearing about in this report are exactly why Sue Ryder has recently proposed a reshaped palliative and end-of-life care system to the Government. Our proposals include specialist wards situated within hospital footprints with the sole aim of providing specialist and dignified care to people at the end of their life to directly tackle this issue.

“The upcoming NHS 10-Year Plan is a timely opportunity for the Government to make the changes needed in order to provide people with the opportunity we all deserve, to live and die well.”

Read the full report on The Royal College of Nursing's website.