This article appears as part of the Unspun: Scottish Politics newsletter.

“I had to change an incontinent, frail patient with dementia in the corridor, by the vending machine.”

Those are the words of just one nurse from more than 5000 who have provided evidence about the collapse of the NHS.

Can you imagine being that frail, elderly patient? Or that frail, elderly patient being your parent? Or being in that hospital and witnessing their humiliation?

How much rage does this make you feel?

This week’s ‘Corridor Care’ report by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), which surveyed members all across the UK including in Scotland, paints a picture of an NHS which frankly defies metaphor.

Should we call this medieval? Certainly, one nurse said the NHS is now “no better” than in the developing world.

Patients are dying in corridors and on chairs in waiting rooms; pregnant women are miscarrying in side rooms; people are going into cardiac arrest as hospital hallways are so trolley-blocked it delays resuscitation machines; cupboards are used to treat patients.

One nurse said: “We permanently have corridor care now.” So clearly, this isn’t just a winter problem.

Another said: “I felt embarrassed to work for the NHS and, for the first time, I could see it was broken. Never in my 30-year career could I have imagined this would become a ‘norm’ but it is."

RCN........

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