Almost 20% of patients in British A&E departments are now being treated in inappropriate areas, raising concerns about potential congestion this winter.
A recent NHS analysis found that 17.7% of patients were receiving care in “escalation areas” like corridors and waiting rooms, with some even waiting in ambulances for more than 15 minutes. This practice was quietly accepted by NHS England starting in 2022, but Health Secretary Wes Streeting has promised to end it by the upcoming general election.
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine conducted a study analyzing data from 165 A&E departments in March 2025, involving over 10,000 patients. Dr. Ian Higginson, the RCEM president, emphasized that corridor care remains a pervasive issue in UK emergency departments, highlighting cases of patients, including the elderly and vulnerable, enduring long waits in inadequate settings.
Under the previous Tory government’s decade-long NHS funding constraints, waiting times surged from 2015 onwards. The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated the situation, leading to critical delays in ambulance services and increased reliance on temporary spaces like corridors for patient care.
Dr. Higginson expressed concern over the worsening situation during winter, noting that the practice of corridor care poses a year-round challenge. A previous incident involving a mental health patient left on a beanbag in A&E for 24 hours underscored the dire consequences of inadequate facilities for patients in crisis.
Both the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England acknowledged the unacceptable nature of corridor care and pledged to address the issue. Efforts are underway to improve patient care, reduce ambulance wait times, and ensure a more efficient healthcare system.
As the healthcare sector navigates these challenges, the need for sustainable solutions to eliminate corridor care and enhance patient well-being remains a top priority.