The National Health Service (NHS) in England is grappling with an unprecedented crisis, as patients are increasingly receiving treatment in non-clinical areas such as corridors, waiting rooms, cupboards, car parks, and even offices. A comprehensive report by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), based on a survey of over 5,000 frontline nurses, paints a grim picture of overcrowded hospitals and compromised patient care. Two-thirds of the surveyed nurses reported treating patients in these makeshift spaces daily, highlighting the severity and normalization of this concerning practice. The report reveals harrowing accounts of patients dying in corridors without adequate pain relief or dignity, underscoring the urgent need for systemic change.
The RCN report details numerous distressing incidents, including a 95-year-old woman with dementia who was unable to receive end-of-life care while dying in a corridor due to a lack of proper equipment. Other cases describe patients dying unnoticed for hours in waiting rooms, and one instance where a patient died in a corridor near a toilet. These accounts, shared by nurses across the NHS, expose the dire consequences of overcrowding and the immense pressure faced by healthcare professionals. One anonymous medic expressed the fear that such incidents could occur on any shift due to the difficulty in tracking all patients in overflowing spaces. The medic recounted a particularly disturbing experience of an elderly patient nearing the end of her life spending eight hours in a corridor alongside a vomiting patient and another who was screaming, highlighting the lack of dignity and respect afforded to patients in these circumstances.
The RCN’s 450-page report provides compelling evidence that “corridor care” is not an isolated phenomenon but a widespread and worsening issue within the NHS. The report emphasizes that some of these “temporary escalation” spaces have been in operation for two years, raising concerns about their permanence and the normalization of subpar care. RCN General Secretary Professor Nicola Ranger expressed grave concerns about the scale of the crisis, stating that it is the worst it has ever been and expressing doubt about whether the situation will improve. The report attributes the overcrowding to a shortage of bed space on wards, which were already over 95% full before the onset of flu season, further exacerbating the strain on emergency departments.
The lack of beds has created a bottleneck in casualty departments, forcing patients to wait for extended periods on gurneys or chairs in corridors and overflow areas. These areas often include unsuitable spaces like bathrooms, cloakrooms, and even viewing rooms intended for families to view deceased relatives. In some instances, patients experiencing cardiac arrest have received CPR on the floor due to the lack of available space. This dire situation not only compromises patient safety and dignity but also places immense emotional and psychological strain on healthcare staff. Nurses have reported leaving shifts in tears after witnessing patients dying in corridors without access to proper resuscitation areas due to blocked access by other patients on beds.
The RCN has issued a stark warning that its members may resort to further strike action if the crisis is not addressed effectively. The union is demanding greater transparency from hospitals regarding the number of patients treated in corridors, increased NHS funding to address staffing shortages, and improvements to social care services. Professor Ranger has also advocated for shifting more tests and simple procedures to community clinics to alleviate the pressure on hospitals. NHS Providers, representing hospital bosses, acknowledges the urgent need for action to minimize incidents of corridor care, both in the present and future.
NHS England’s chief nurse, Duncan Barton, has declared that corridor care should never be considered an acceptable standard of care within the NHS. Health Secretary Wes Streeting echoed this sentiment, expressing his intolerance for patients being treated in corridors, calling it unsafe, undignified, and a consequence of years of neglect of the NHS. While acknowledging the significant challenge, Streeting has committed to eradicating corridor care, although he stopped short of guaranteeing its elimination within the next year. He recognized that reversing the damage inflicted on the NHS will require time and sustained effort.
