The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has welcomed the UK government’s announcement of almost £140 million for 14 new urgent care schemes in England while warning that further investment across the whole health and care system is needed to end corridor care.
The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has welcomed the UK government’s announcement of almost £140 million for 14 new urgent care schemes in England while warning that further investment across the whole health and care system is needed to end corridor care.
The government announced on 18 October that the funding will support new urgent treatment centres, same-day emergency care (SDEC) services, new ambulance fleets and emergency department upgrades. A further 25 new or expanded urgent care sites, announced in April 2026, are due to open in time for winter. The investment follows what the government described as the ‘busiest summer in NHS history’.
The announcement comes days after the Corridor Care Coalition, of which the RCP is a member, wrote to the new Health and Social Care Secretary, Yvette Cooper. The Coalition brings together 16 organisations representing healthcare professionals, patients, families and carers, and exists to end care being delivered in inappropriate environments.
Sent on 16 October, the coalition’s letter highlights that corridor care is no longer confined to winter. NHS England data shows that there are around 2400 daily instances of corridor care in emergency departments across England, with 92,177 instances of corridor care recorded in August 2026 alone.
The coalition is calling for action across the whole system, including:
- discharge arrangements that minimise avoidable delays
- reopening and fully staffing inpatient beds that are currently unavailable
- increased investment in emergency, community, frailty and palliative care services
- reform of adult social care, so that patients who are medically fit to leave hospital can access the care they need.
Age UK analysis of NHS England figures estimates that more than 13,000 people a day remain in hospital despite being medically fit for discharge, with delayed discharges up almost 70 per cent since 2021.
The coalition has also cautioned that, in efforts to eliminate corridor care, patients must not simply be moved into other unsuitable settings such as waiting rooms, chairs or SDEC units. It has called for national monitoring that captures overcrowding, long waits and care in inappropriate environments wherever they occur.
Dr Hilary Williams, RCP clinical vice president, said:
‘We welcome this investment in urgent and emergency care. Increasing capacity for same-day emergency care and at urgent treatment centres will help more patients get the care they need in the right setting, while easing pressure elsewhere in the NHS as it prepares for a challenging winter.
‘Corridor care is no longer just a winter problem. Care provided in temporary escalation spaces means reduced clinical oversight, less privacy and dignity, and a poorer experience and outcomes for patients.’
‘Increasing urgent care capacity is only part of the answer. Thousands of patients who are medically fit to leave hospital cannot do so because of gaps in social care and community services. This keeps beds occupied and leaves others waiting for care in the wrong place, risking deterioration and readmission. Ending corridor care will depend on sustained investment across community, frailty, palliative and social care, and in the workforce that supports them.
‘No patient should have to receive care in a corridor, whatever time of year it is. We urge the UK government to build on today’s announcement so that corridor care becomes a thing of the past.’