NHS staff report widespread corridor care due to staffing and capacity pressures

Healthcare providers across the United Kingdom are reporting widespread ‘corridor care,’ where patients are treated in spaces not designed for clinical use, such as hallways and storage areas. In Wales, a snapshot survey found that every major emergency department was using corridors or inappropriate spaces to treat patients due to extreme demand and insufficient capacity. Health Minister Mabon ap Gwynfor noted that emergency departments are “buckling under the strain of relentless demand.”

A joint poll by Marie Curie and Nursing Standard involving over 1,100 healthcare professionals found that 55% of nurses have treated patients in corridors or makeshift spaces. The study highlighted significant issues regarding end-of-life care, with over 70% of respondents stating that treating patients in non-clinical areas compromises dignity and causes distress to families.

Staff cited staffing shortages and time constraints as primary drivers of these conditions. The research also identified failures in care planning, with more than a third of nurses reporting instances where CPR was performed on patients against their expressed wishes due to uncertainty regarding their end-of-life preferences.