The Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead

AN accident and emergency department is struggling to cope with a shortage of patient trolleys that keep breaking down and not getting fixed, frontline NHS staff have warned.

Royal Free Hospital emergency staff say they have been told by managers that funds cannot be cleared to fix the broken equipment.

The trolleys are breaking down from overuse due to a new system of caring for patients in ward corridors because of a lack of beds.

Sources say that a significant number of broken trolleys are piled up like an “elephants’ graveyard” in the lower ground floor of the Pond Street hospital.

On Friday a frontline worker said: “Thanks to corridor nursing, the amount of trolleys required has expanded.

More and more trolleys break down and don’t get repaired. “A&E is lacking around 50 per cent of trolleys at this moment.

“There are no parts to fix them. We are talking about being severely short of basic equipment.

“The Trust cannot afford to either buy them or get them fixed. What are they spending the money on? Six-figure salaries for managers?”

They added: “How can you safely have corridor nursing in place when you don’t even have enough working trolleys to adequately cover the main department?”

A hospital spokesperson said yesterday (Wednesday) that just six were on that day awaiting repair – but staff say the true number has regularly been more than 20 in recent weeks.

New electrically operated trolleys specifically designed for A&E have been introduced to the hospital in recent years.

The trolleys allow patients to be taken for all types of urgent procedures and are operated by a control panel that has to be charged up at the mains.

The New Journal reported on an alarming rise in “corridor nursing” over the winter when the NHS is typically stretched to breaking point.

Initially on an ad-hoc basis, the system has become official with hospitals including the Whittington advertising for new staff in “corridor nursing” posts.

The Royal College of Nursing has launched a campaign calling on the government to bring an end to corridor care in NHS hospitals.

The nursing union published a report in January revealing the experiences of its members.

It said that patients were being “left feeling exposed, vulnerable and violated” and that staff felt “stressed, powerless and ready to leave the profession”.

One nurse, not connected to the Royal Free, said in the RCN report: “I had to change an incontinent, frail patient with dementia on the corridor, by the vending machine. It was undignified, [and] felt so bad at the same time it was my duty to deliver care.”

Earlier this month health secretary Wes Streeting, announcing the latest NHS reforms, said: “No patient should ever be left waiting for hours in hospital corridors or for an ambulance which ought to arrive in minutes.”

He added: “The package of investment and reforms we are announcing today will help the NHS treat more patients in the community, so they don’t end up stuck on trolleys in A&E.”

A spokesperson from the Royal Free London said: “Over the past 18 months, the Royal Free Hospital emergency department has purchased 39 new trolleys to support patient care. As expected with daily use, six trolleys within the department currently require replacement parts and repairs. Our maintenance partner is actively working to complete these repairs as quickly as possible.”