In a concerning revelation, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has published a dossier highlighting the devastating impact of “corridor care” within the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). This practice, where patients are forced to wait in hospital corridors for a bed, has been described as a “type of torture” that is leading to patient deaths and causing nightmares for NHS staff.
The RCN’s report, based on testimony from 436 nurses across the country, paints a grim picture. In one case, an elderly patient choked to death in a corridor, unseen by staff. Another nurse in Yorkshire recounted how a terminally ill patient spent a week in an overflow area before being moved to a side room, where they ultimately passed away. “I won’t ever forget that,” the nurse said.
The problem has become so severe that hospitals are having to convert dining rooms, staff kitchens, and even rooms for viewing deceased patients into makeshift care areas to accommodate the overflow. A nurse in the north-west of England said it had become “routine” for 26 patients to be stuck in a corridor awaiting a bed, despite the hospital’s own guidelines limiting this to no more than six.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has pledged to end the use of corridor care in England by 2029, if not sooner. However, NHS staff groups remain sceptical, citing the chronic overcrowding and strain on the healthcare system, which is not limited to the winter months.
The NHS’s safety watchdog has warned that these “temporary care environments” pose serious risks to patients, including the risk of infection, lack of call bells, and difficulties in monitoring their condition. Tragically, some patients have died, undetected by staff, while in these makeshift areas.
The Department of Health and Social Care has acknowledged the unacceptable and undignified nature of the situation, and has taken steps to address the issue, including investing £450 million to expand urgent and emergency care services, expanding vaccination programmes, and building new same-day emergency care centres and mental health crisis facilities.
Despite these efforts, the RCN’s General Secretary, Professor Nicola Ranger, has stated that the testimony from nursing staff “reveals once again the devastating human consequences of corridor care, with patients forced to endure conditions which have no place in our NHS.”
As the NHS continues to grapple with the challenges of an overburdened healthcare system, the plight of patients forced to wait in hospital corridors remains a pressing concern. The government’s commitment to addressing this issue will be closely watched, as the well-being and dignity of patients hangs in the balance.
