Corridor care in the NHS: When overcrowding becomes a patient safety risk

The NHS’s first official figures on “corridor care” highlight a practice that healthcare professionals, patients, and families have long recognised as widespread. 

In May 2026, over 2,200 patients each day received care in hospital corridors, waiting areas, or other unsuitable spaces in A&E departments. An additional 669 patients per day were treated in similar conditions elsewhere in hospitals. These figures are concerning because they confirm longstanding reports from patients and staff that overcrowding is compromising patient safety and dignity. 

For those affected, corridor care is more than an inconvenience. It can result in delayed treatment, insufficient monitoring, lack of privacy, and, in some cases, serious harm or death. 

Corridor care occurs when patients are treated in spaces not designed for clinical care, including corridors, waiting rooms, temporary overflow areas and other makeshift treatment spaces. 

The NHS has defined corridor care as patients spending 45 minutes or more in such environments while waiting for an appropriate care setting. 

Reports from healthcare staff and patient safety organisations describe patients waiting many hours and sometimes days in these conditions. Families have recounted vulnerable relatives left confused, distressed, and without adequate support. Nurses and doctors have spoken openly about the moral distress of being unable to provide the care their patients deserve. 

According to the Royal College of Nursing, corridor care is unsafe, undignified and increasingly normalised across the UK healthcare system. The organisation has documented cases involving missed deterioration, delayed treatment and patients dying in inappropriate care environments.

Every patient has the right to receive safe, dignified and appropriate medical care. 

When patients are treated in corridors, healthcare professionals face challenges monitoring their condition, maintaining privacy, carrying out assessments, and responding quickly to emergencies. Vulnerable patients, including older people, those with cognitive impairment, and individuals with complex medical needs, are particularly affected. 

The Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) has highlighted serious patient safety risks associated with the use of temporary care environments, warning that the practice has become increasingly widespread as demand exceeds NHS capacity. 

While the pressures facing the NHS are well documented, concerns remain that corridor care risks becoming a routine instead of an emergency measure

Not every instance of corridor care amounts to medical negligence. However, when a patient suffers avoidable harm because appropriate care, assessment, monitoring, or treatment was delayed or compromised, there may be grounds for investigation. Examples include: 

• Delayed diagnosis of a serious condition 

• Failure to recognise a patient’s deterioration 

• Medication errors 

• Falls or injuries resulting from inadequate supervision 

• Harm caused by excessive treatment delays 

Each case depends on its specific circumstances. The key question is whether the care provided fell below an acceptable standard and caused avoidable injury. 

The stories from the latest data are troubling and, for many families, deeply upsetting. No patient should feel their dignity, safety, or wellbeing has been compromised because the healthcare system is under strain. 

While healthcare professionals work tirelessly under immense pressure, patients who believe they have suffered harm deserve answers. 

As a specialist clinical negligence solicitor, I am increasingly hearing from families about the impact of the healthcare service being overburdened and how this adversely impacts patient care. Even where corridor care hasn’t directly caused avoidable harm, there is no doubt it contributes to patient dissatisfaction and the suspicion that proper care hasn’t been provided. I continue to monitor these developments closely. Greater transparency around corridor care is a welcome step, but meaningful action is needed to ensure that patients receive the safe and dignified care they are entitled to expect.