Our response to new findings on corridor care

An investigation by the HSSIB highlighted the risks of using ‘corridor care' to treat patients across NHS Trusts. 

Corridor care is now so normal in hospitals that many are installing plug sockets and emergency call bells in hallways. 

Chris McCann, our Deputy Chief Executive, commented: 

“We agree with HSSIB’s findings, which reinforce our own evidence that patients are being cared for in undignified conditions, often for hours at a time, in non‑clinical spaces.

“The stories people share with us highlight the urgent need to address the realities of corridor care. One person told us in December they waited 40 hours in a hospital corridor, during which time a patient next to them died on a trolley. Sleep deprivation, loss of dignity, exposure to distressing situations, and the desperation that drives people to self‑discharge put patients’ health and wellbeing at risk.

“No one should ever have to receive medical care in a hallway.

“It's been a year since we joined nursing and other bodies to end corridor care and to publish regular NHS data on the scale of the problem. But publication of the number of cases per trust has been delayed since Spring 2025. The Government and NHS England needs to show greater urgency in tackling corridor care by publishing regular, trust‑level data on its scale, alongside clear actions for how it intends to eliminate it.”

Last year, we and a coalition of trade unions, professional bodies, charities and patient groups, called for an end to treating patients in corridors and other inappropriate spaces.