Summer survey confirms corridor care is a year-round issue, says Royal College of Physicians

New findings from a Royal College of Physicians (RCP) snapshot member survey confirm that corridor care is now a year-round issue.

In a survey of 553 physicians across the UK, nearly 3 in 5 (59%) reported they had delivered care in a temporary care environment between June and August 2025, including in corridors, gyms, offices, and even cupboards.

Of those who reported providing care in a temporary environment over the summer months, 45% said they had done so daily or almost daily.

In response to these findings, the RCP is reiterating its calls to the NHS, Health and Social Care Northern Ireland, and governments across the nations of the UK to:

• protect patients and staff by supporting them when care is delivered in temporary care environments
• prevent this practice by implementing systems and processes to improve patient flow and discharge
• pledge long term investment in social care and public health initiatives to tackle avoidable admissions and improve health
• publish data all year round on how many patients are being treated in temporary care environments.

Nearly all (94%) of the 328 doctors who reported providing care in temporary environments over the summer said that patient privacy and dignity had been compromised – 84% reported that patient confidentiality was compromised, and 81% said that clinical practice was physically difficult.

The impact on doctors delivering care in these spaces is also significant. 72% of those who reported providing care in a temporary care environment over the summer said they felt forced to provide care in these environments, while 66% said they felt this was the new norm. Concerningly, 8% said the experience had made them consider leaving their roles altogether.

Dr Hilary Williams, RCP clinical vice president, said: “Delivering care in corridors and other temporary spaces has sadly become an everyday reality for many doctors, placing immense physical and emotional strain on staff. Patients deserve better. They should receive care in safe, private, and properly equipped environments.

“Lasting change requires urgent systemic action. Strengthening social care, improving patient flow, and expanding alternatives to hospital admission within the community, such as hospital-at-home programmes, are essential.”

The new RCP findings are underscored by the harrowing experiences shared by doctors in the survey:

• ‘Providing care in front a vending machine is a new low for my patients and for me as a consultant. The last patient I had to care for here had a brain abscess. This cannot be acceptable.’
• ‘I may retire early with corridor care being a major factor.’
• ‘Extra patients on the ward in areas not equipped for looking after patients has become normal. This is summer, it can only get worse over winter.’ 
• ‘The temporary environment we work in has no heating, this makes patients and staff very cold in the winter.’

The findings come as the RCP also publishes updated guidance to support its physician members to deliver care safely in temporary care environments. The conditions clinicians are working under are unacceptable, but until corridor care is eliminated, they need support to protect patients and safeguard staff wellbeing in these environments. The guidance recommends: 

• A set of RCP standards for inpatient care that physicians should follow regardless of whether care is provided in a temporary or permanent environment
• Providers and systems take steps to reduce hospital admissions, such as promoting the uptake of vaccines and using community-based urgent care
• Providers ensure staff do not continually work in temporary environments, and that regular debriefing and emotional support are provided to staff.

Dr Zuzanna Sawicka, RCP clinical director for patient safety and clinical standards, said: “No doctor should be delivering care next to a vending machine, yet this is what our members have told us. Our survey findings show corridor care has become the reality for too many. This is not the standard of care doctors are trained to deliver, nor is it the standard patients deserve.

“The RCP will keep pressing the government and NHS to eliminate corridor care. But while this unacceptable practice continues, our guidance aims to support clinicians and providers to deliver safe care in these unsafe conditions. This is a response to reality – not a sign of approval.”

Sam Mauger, chair of the RCP Patient and Carer Network, said: “Patients and carers understand that doctors and nurses are doing their absolute best in impossible circumstances, but care delivered in corridors, cupboards or other makeshift spaces is not acceptable. It strips patients of privacy and dignity, leaves staff exhausted, and undermines trust in the system.

“Corridor care is a symptom of deeper problems - chronic underinvestment, lack of capacity, and slow progress on social care reform. Patients want solutions, not excuses. We hope the RCP’s call for urgent action to end this unsafe practice is heard, so we can ensure that every patient, in every season, receives care in an appropriate clinical environment.”