‘Harrowing’ undercover footage reveals how NHS patients are being forced to pee in cups in busy hospital corridors
“Harrowing” footage reveals the moment a man was forced to urinate in a bottle in a corridor in front of staff and other patients.
Secret video footage taken by an undercover reporter shows the “profoundly unwell” man lying in the corridor inside the Emergency Department of the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
The man tells hospital staff he desperately needs to go to the toilet before being told it would be easier for him to pee in a cup.
The patient agrees before being helped to lift his gown and urinate “naked in front of 30 people” in the corridor.
On camera, undercover reporter Robbie Boyd tells the man: “I’m really sorry that you’re in the corridor.
“We’ve got people having to go to the toilet in public in the corridor.
“It’s not OK. If that was my family member, I’d be fuming.”
I think I’m in danger of being just forgotten here, and I don’t know really what’s happening
Unknown patient
In previous footage, the distressed man calls for Robbie who is passing by and said: “It’s just I’m so glad to speak to somebody.
“I think I’m in danger of being just forgotten here, and I don’t know really what’s happening.
“I don’t think people know what I’m here for.”
On another shift, a female patient was left crying out in agony for hours as she waited to receive care in an ambulance queue.
Almost 19,000 NHS patients were left waiting in A&E for three days over a 12-month period, the Channel 4 investigation revealed.
Between April 2023 and March 2024, nearly 400,000 people were left waiting more than 24 hours across A&E departments, a 5 per cent rise on the previous year.
‘SO UNDIGNIFIED’
The programme also found that 54,000 people had to wait more than two days, a freedom of information request to NHS England revealed.
Recalling the tragic event dispatches reporter Robbie added: “I am so angry right now because having to pee in a bottle naked in front of 30 people is so undignified.
“They’re trying to be so sweet and they don’t want to be a bother, and everyone’s like ”I’m being such a nuisance”.
“I’m like, ”no, you’re so unwell. You should not be the one apologising.”’
In previous footage, the distressed man calls for Robbie who is passing by and says: “It’s just I’m so glad to speak to somebody.
“I think I’m in danger of being just forgotten here, and I don’t know really what’s happening.
“I don’t think people know what I’m here for.”
The investigation exposed “suffering and indignity faced by patients on a daily basis” after Robbie secretly filmed himself working as a trainee healthcare assistant inside the emergency department for Channel 4’s Dispatches.
The “harrowing” scenes from the hospital’s A&E department came as an analyst from a thinktank said people were dying in emergency care in England “who don’t need to be dying”.
When to call 111, see your GP or go to A&E
NHS 111 can help if you think you need medical help right now but you’re not sure what to do.
Someone will also be able to tell you where the best place to get help is if you can’t get hold of your GP or the practice is closed.
You can get help from NHS 111:
- By using 111 online
- In the NHS App
- By calling 111
When to see or speak to a GP
If your needs are less urgent, contact your GP or visit your local pharmacist.
A scheme called Pharmacy First means you can visit your local pharmacy for the following conditions instead of going to your GP:
- Sinusitis
- Sore throat
- Earache
- Infected insect bites
- Impetigo
- Shingles
- Uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women under 65
When to go to accident & emergency
A&E is for serious injuries and life-threatening emergencies only.
If you’re an adult, call 999 or go to A&E if you have:
- Signs of a heart attack: chest pain, pressure, heaviness, tightness or squeezing across the chest
- Signs of a stroke: face dropping on one side, cannot hold both arms up, difficulty speaking
- Sudden confusion (delirium): cannot be sure of own name or age
- Suicide attempt: by taking something or self-harming
- Severe difficulty breathing: not being able to get words out, choking or gasping
- Choking: on liquids or solids right now
- Heavy bleeding: spraying, pouring or enough to make a puddle
- Severe injuries: after a serious accident or assault
- Seizure (fit): shaking or jerking because of a fit, or unconscious (cannot be woken up)
- Sudden, rapid swelling: of the lips, mouth, throat or tongue
For children, signs of an emergency might be a little different.
Got to A&E if a child shows any of the below:
- Seizure (fit): shaking or jerking because of a fit, or unconscious (cannot be woken up)
- Choking: on liquids or solids now
- Difficulty breathing: making grunting noises or sucking their stomach in under their ribcage
- Unable to stay awake: cannot keep their eyes open for more than a few seconds
- Blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, tongue or lips: on brown or black skin, grey or blue palms or soles of the feet
- Limp and floppy: their head falls to the side, backwards or forwards
- Heavy bleeding: spraying, pouring or enough to make a puddle
- Severe injuries: after a serious accident or assault
- Signs of a stroke: face dropping on one side, cannot hold both arms up, difficulty speaking
- Sudden rapid swelling: of the lips, mouth, throat or tongue
- Sudden confusion: agitation, odd behaviour or non-stop crying
Source: NHS
NOT UNIQUE TO THIS HOSPITAL
Just last week, the hospital declared a “critical incident” after high demand left it overwhelmed.
Footage also showed one patient waiting for 30 hours in a “fit to sit” area while a suspected stroke sufferer was there for 24 hours, the broadcaster said.
Dr Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: “I don’t think this is unique to this hospital by any stretch of the imagination.
“The things we’ve seen here today are clearly not just confined to winter. It was a year-round crisis in emergency care.
“Spending two days in an emergency department is worse than spending two days in an airport lounge.
“These are people who are sitting in uncomfortable seats where the lights never go off.
“There’s constant noise, there’s constant stress. There’s no end in sight.”
A total of 18,638 people waited more than three days in A&E over the period, a 60 per cent increase on the previous 12 months.
‘VERY SORRY’
A spokesperson for the hospital trust said: “As with other hospitals, our trust is facing significant challenges with urgent and emergency care.
“We understand our challenges and are investing in our services and making steady improvements as a trust, as noted in our recent CQC report.
“However, there is still much more to do; we do not want to be in a position where we are caring for patients in corridors.
“We are very sorry that our patients have experienced anything less than the quality care we strive for and we are determined, working with partners, to improve the care and experience for everyone.”
The spokesperson added that although the trust disputed some of the claims made in the Dispatches programme, it would “fully investigate all of the claims to identify and embed any learning into our continuous improvement work”.
The latest figures show that more than one in four people waited longer than the target of four hours in A&E, according to the King’s Fund.
Patients are waiting 33 minutes on average for an ambulance in emergency cases such as strokes and heart attacks, when the target is 18 minutes, the thinktank added.
Undercover A&E: NHS in Crisis – Dispatches – is due to air on Channel 4 at 9pm on Monday.