The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has issued a stark warning, declaring that the practice of treating patients in hospital corridors amounts to "a type of torture" and is directly contributing to patient deaths while causing lasting trauma for NHS staff.
Damning Evidence of Systemic Failure
The union's warning is based on a dossier of evidence compiled from the testimony of 436 nurses across the UK, gathered in early January. The report paints a harrowing picture of a system buckling under intense demand, where makeshift wards are now commonplace.
One nurse from the south of England reported having nightmares after a patient died in a departure lounge converted into a clinical area. Another, in Yorkshire, described a terminally ill patient spending a week in an overflow area before being moved to a side room to die. "I won't ever forget that," the nurse said.
Perhaps most chillingly, the dossier includes the case of an elderly patient who choked to death in a corridor, unseen by staff. A nurse in the north-west stated it had become routine for 26 patients to be stuck in a corridor awaiting a bed, despite hospital policy stating the maximum should be six.
Corridor Care Declared a 'National Emergency'
Professor Nicola Ranger, the RCN's General Secretary, stated the testimony reveals the devastating human cost of a practice with no place in the modern NHS. She emphasised that the problem is spreading beyond emergency departments into acute assessment units and specialist wards.
The union had already declared corridor care a "national emergency" in June 2024. This warning was echoed last week by the NHS's safety watchdog in England, the Health Services Safety Investigations Body, which said temporary care areas pose serious risks including infection and a lack of proper monitoring.
According to the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, delays in A&E and for hospital beds are estimated to cause about 16,600 deaths per year in England, equating to roughly 320 each week.
Government Pledges and Staff Scepticism
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has pledged to end the use of corridor care in England by 2029, "if not sooner." A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson called the situation "unacceptable and undignified," citing inherited problems and pointing to immediate steps including a £450m investment in urgent care and the creation of new emergency centres.
However, NHS staff groups remain deeply sceptical of the pledge, given the chronic and widespread overload hospitals face year-round. The RCN's evidence shows that hospitals are now routinely using spaces like dining rooms, staff kitchens, and even rooms for viewing the deceased as overspill areas for patient care.
In a separate announcement, Streeting highlighted initiatives like "super clinics" and AI-assisted patient assessment, alongside a "further faster 20" programme targeting backlogs, as examples of innovation that could help ease pressures. He has also pledged to restore the 18-week maximum wait for planned care by 2029.
