The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has found Croydon University Hospital remains in breach of legal regulations over the use of 'corridor care' after an unannounced inspection in March 2026 revealed some patients spent more than five days in the emergency department.
Inspection Findings
During the visit on March 6, 2026, inspectors discovered that between 680 and 815 patients each month waited over 12 hours for an inpatient bed. The longest stays ranged from 34 hours to over 127 hours, with the most extreme cases exceeding five days. The report, published on June 25, 2026, noted that the longest delays largely affected adults experiencing mental health crises, with some left in unsuitable environments that increased the risk of deterioration.
Corridor care was a major concern, with staff routinely caring for patients in corridors and non-clinical escalation areas due to sustained pressure on capacity. The report stated: "We saw doctors talking with patients, delivering news to them and discussing plans for their care in areas which did not preserve privacy and confidentiality." This breach of legal regulations on privacy and dignity followed a similar finding in the previous inspection in July 2025.
Safety Concerns and Incidents
The inspection highlighted safety risks for vulnerable patients requiring constant observation. Between September 2025 and February 2026, there were 80 incidents of mental health patients absconding from the department. In 79 cases, police were contacted, indicating "a reliance on external agencies to manage absconding events." Inspectors also found that staff were not effectively embedding learning from previous absconding incidents, limiting efforts to prevent recurrence.
From March 2025 to February 2026, the hospital received 114 complaints, most related to the emergency department. Mandatory safeguarding training fell short of the trust's 90% target, with only 51.2% of staff completing adult safeguarding training. Inspectors noted there was "no shared or well-understood process" for raising concerns about vulnerable adults.
Positive Staff Interactions
Despite these issues, inspectors praised frontline staff for their warmth and kindness. Patient feedback showed 89% felt treated with respect and dignity, and 95% said they felt listened to by doctors and nurses. The CQC rated the emergency department as 'Requires Improvement', unchanged from the previous year.
Trust Response and Measures
In response, Croydon Health Services NHS Trust introduced a full capacity protocol, a new medical assessment area to improve patient flow, and dedicated housing officers to support homeless patients. Steps were taken to prevent children and patients with suspected infectious diseases from being placed in corridor care, and additional security staff and healthcare assistants were deployed to improve observation.
However, inspectors concluded that governance arrangements had "not consistently resulted in sufficient or sustained improvements in safety, flow or patient experience." They said the department would remain under significant pressure until wider issues around hospital capacity and delayed discharges into social care are resolved.
A trust spokesperson said: "We welcome the Care Quality Commission's report and the recognition of the compassion, kindness and professionalism shown by our staff working in urgent and emergency care. The report highlights that improvements have been made in patient safety. However, we fully recognise that further work is needed, particularly in relation to privacy and dignity and the impact of long waits on our patients."
The spokesperson added that the trust continues to face sustained pressure and is working with partners to improve patient flow and reduce waiting times.
