Doctors confirm ‘corridor care’ crisis as 80% forced to treat patients in unsafe spaces

A new snapshot survey by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) highlights the worsening crisis in NHS hospitals, where a lack of capacity is pushing vulnerable patients into undignified and unsafe conditions.

The survey gathered responses from almost a thousand (961) physicians across the UK, spanning a wide range of specialties - including cardiology, respiratory medicine, and general internal medicine - who report firsthand the challenges of delivering care in temporary spaces.

The findings show that 78% of respondents had provided care in a temporary environment in the past month. Of the 889 respondents who gave further details on where this care was delivered, locations included:

• Corridors (45%)
• Additional beds or chairs in patient bays (27%)
• Wards without dedicated bed space (13%)
• Waiting rooms (9%)
• Another location not designed for patient care e.g. bathroom (4.5%).

The consequences of treating patients in unsuitable spaces are severe. 90% of doctors reported compromised patient privacy and dignity, while 81% faced physical difficulties delivering care. Additionally, 75% struggled with access to vital equipment or facilities, and 58% saw patient safety directly compromised. The impact on doctors themselves was also significant, with 61% reporting increased personal stress.

RCP fellows and members reported that patients receiving care in corridors or waiting rooms are typically awaiting admission to an in-patient ward. This bottleneck stems from delays in discharging and transferring patients - each day last month in England, an average of 13,688 beds were being used by patients who were medically fit to be discharged but remained in hospital. Many of these patients will have their discharges delayed because of a lack of social care support. With overwhelming demand at hospital entry points and insufficient capacity in social care, hospitals and clinicians are left with no alternative but to provide care in these unsuitable spaces.

Earlier this year, the RCP published a position statement calling for a zero-tolerance approach to ‘corridor care’, warning that the widespread use of temporary care spaces is undermining patient safety and dignity. The issue is not confined to England - doctors in Wales and Northern Ireland report facing similarly high levels of corridor care, as hospitals across the UK struggle with capacity pressures.  

Respondents to the survey shared harrowing firsthand accounts of the ‘corridor care’ crisis:

“The moral distress caused by seeing end-of-life patients waiting for hours in the back of ambulances or in emergency departments, feeling like they are a burden, has taken its toll.”

“I have had more than one patient die directly as a result of not being in an appropriate clinical area - on a trolley in the corridor rather than in resus, as there was no room for them.”

“Corridor care is a travesty.”

“I have had to resuscitate patients in A&E when delays in reaching them occurred due to trolleys blocking access.”

Commenting on the results of the survey, Dr John Dean, RCP clinical vice president, said: "These findings confirm what doctors across the NHS already know - corridor care is becoming routine, and that is simply unacceptable. Treating patients in inappropriate spaces compromises their dignity, safety, and quality of care, while also placing enormous strain on staff. No doctor should have to resuscitate a patient in a blocked corridor or watch patients spend their final hours in undignified conditions.

“NHS England’s decision to start recording data on this crisis is a step in the right direction, but it must be made public and acted upon urgently. We need systemic reforms to expand capacity, improve patient flow, protect patient safety, and ensure that corridor care is eliminated - not normalised.”

The RCP welcomes NHS England’s commitment to begin recording data on temporary escalation spaces from January onwards, but stresses that this data must be published as soon as possible and included in NHS England’s monthly performance statistics year-round. The problem is no longer confined to winter pressures - it is a persistent issue across the NHS.