Responding to the latest NHS England winter performance data RCN Executive Director for England Patricia Marquis said:

"Despite falling flu cases, there is no sign of pressures letting up for nursing staff having to deliver care in corridors and other inappropriate spaces. Rising rates of norovirus are making a bad situation an increasingly dangerous one.

“We still don't know how many patients are being cared for in these conditions and the government needs to be open with the public about the scale of the challenge. Transparency is crucial to turning this situation around.

“The route to solving the crisis in our hospitals lies in investing in nursing, especially in the community. They are crucial to keeping people healthy at home, but their numbers have collapsed.”

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