Corridor care crisis threatens NHS patient safety

Published: 15 January 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online.

The NHS corridor care crisis is pushing patients into unsafe conditions, causing deaths and traumatising staff. Evidence collected by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) shows that overcrowded hospitals are routinely forcing patients into corridors, dining areas, and even mortuary viewing rooms. Nurses describe the practice as “a type of torture,” with many staff suffering nightmares after witnessing preventable patient deaths. One elderly patient choked to death in a corridor, unseen by staff, underscoring the human cost of the corridor care crisis.

NHS hospitals are increasingly strained as demand surges, leaving staff to manage patients in temporary spaces that lack privacy, monitoring, and essential equipment. The RCN’s dossier, compiled from testimony by 436 nurses across England, details how patients in terminal stages or with acute illnesses have spent days or even weeks in corridors before receiving appropriate care. In Yorkshire, a nurse recounted a terminally ill patient who endured a week in an overflow area, ultimately dying in a side room. Similar accounts from the north-west revealed that up to 26 patients could be left waiting in corridors, despite hospital guidelines stating no more than six should be held there.

Prof Nicola Ranger, the RCN general secretary, condemned the situation: “This testimony reveals the devastating human consequences of corridor care, with patients forced to endure conditions that have no place in our NHS.” She added that corridor care has extended beyond emergency departments into acute assessment units, respiratory wards, and elderly care wards, calling it a “national emergency” since June 2024.

The Health Services Safety Investigations Body warned that temporary care environments present serious risks, including undetected patient deterioration, lack of call bells, and infection. The Department of Health and Social Care acknowledged the crisis, stating: “No one should receive care in a corridor. The situation we inherited is unacceptable and undignified, and we are determined to end it.” Investments of £450 million have been made to expand urgent care, create new emergency centres, and build mental health crisis units, reflecting attempts to tackle systemic pressures driving the corridor care crisis.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has pledged to end corridor care in England by 2029. Initiatives such as AI-driven patient assessments, “super clinics,” and NHS “crack teams” of senior doctors have shown promise in areas with high unemployment, where waiting lists fell significantly faster than the national average. The NHS’s “further faster 20” programme demonstrates the potential for innovation to reduce backlogs, streamline care, and restore trust in hospital services. Streeting also aims to restore the 18-week maximum wait for planned hospital care by 2029.

Despite these efforts, staff remain sceptical that corridor care can be fully eradicated, given the frequency of hospital overcrowding and escalating patient numbers. Nurses describe witnessing routine use of corridors for long periods, with patients left vulnerable and dying unnoticed. The RCN’s report highlights that 16,600 people annually in England die directly due to delays in A&E or inpatient care access, illustrating the deadly consequences of inadequate hospital space.

The corridor care crisis has also intensified psychological strain on healthcare workers, many of whom report anxiety, nightmares, and moral distress. The repeated exposure to preventable deaths and chaotic care environments risks long-term workforce retention issues, adding further pressure to NHS hospitals already struggling to meet demand. Solutions such as expanding urgent care centres, improving patient flow, and deploying AI to streamline triage offer hope, but systemic change is essential to prevent corridor care from continuing.

Critics argue that while investment and innovation are positive steps, they may not suffice if structural overcrowding persists. The corridor care crisis reflects wider challenges in the NHS, including chronic underfunding, staff shortages, and rising patient complexity. Experts suggest that a combination of immediate investment, long-term workforce planning, and cultural change within hospitals is required to eliminate corridor care and its devastating effects.

In summary, the NHS corridor care crisis has reached a point where patient safety is severely compromised, staff are psychologically affected, and public confidence is at risk. Urgent reforms, continued innovation, and government commitment are critical to ending corridor care and safeguarding both patients and healthcare professionals across England.

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