Corridor care becoming the norm across hospitals is deeply worrying, health leaders say.
Responding to new public polling from the Royal College of Nursing on corridor care and testimony from nursing staff, Rory Deighton, acute and community care director at the NHS Confederation, said: “It is deeply worrying that corridor care is becoming the norm across hospitals in the face of rising demand. These new figures and accompanying testimony paint a stark picture of the depth and frequency at which NHS leaders and their teams are faced with little choice but to treat patients in temporary and often inappropriate spaces in hospitals.
“Health care leaders know that corridor care is undignified and can often be unsafe and frustrating for patients and their families. They also know how the practice is now taking its toll on staff.
“However, patient flow is a whole system issue, of which corridor care is the highly visible tip of the iceberg. The NHS has been starved of capital investment for more than a decade and is dogged by crumbling infrastructure and outdated equipment. There is simply not enough space to house and treat the number of patients who need its care.
“Health leaders will continue to do all they can to tackle the root causes of corridor care, including trying to ensure flow through the system by improving patient discharge, working with local authorities to improve social care provision, and prioritising vulnerable older patients at the front door through increased frailty screening.”
