Our response to new findings on corridor care
An investigation by the Health Services Safety Investigations Body highlighted the risks of using ‘corridor care' to treat patients across local NHS hospitals - including the use of hallways, storerooms and other non-clinical spaces because of pressure on beds and urgent care services.
Corridor care is now so normal in hospitals that many are installing plug sockets and emergency call bells in hallways.
We agree with the Health Services Safety Investigations Body’s findings, which reinforce national evidence that patients are being cared for in undignified and unsafe conditions, often for hours at a time, in spaces not built for clinical care
The stories people share with us demonstrate how real this issue is for people locally. One person told our national Healthwatch that they waited 40 hours in a hospital corridor, during which time a patient next to them died on a trolley. Experiences like this show sleep deprivation, loss of dignity, and extreme distress put people’s health and wellbeing at risk. Our own listening work continues to highlight that delays in receiving appropriate care and difficulties getting clear communication from services are ongoing themes for people in North Yorkshire.
"No one should ever have to receive medical care in a hallway."
It has been over a year since Healthwatch North Yorkshire joined Healthwatch England, nursing and other national organisations in calling for an end to corridor care and improved public reporting on its use. However, hospital-level data on corridor care has still not been published, limiting our understanding of how many people locally are affected and where action is most urgently needed.
Why this matters for North Yorkshire
While corridor care is clearly a national issue, it reflects wider pressures on urgent and emergency services that we see locally:
- Urgent and emergency care usage in Humber and North Yorkshire has risen significantly in recent years, with growing demand on A&E services that also affects access and waiting times locally.
- Our “What we heard about healthcare” reports show people across the county continue to tell us about delays, confusion and poor communication in urgent and emergency care settings. These experiences are consistent with corridor care’s impact on people’s confidence in services.
What needs to happen
We are calling on the Government, NHS England, and local NHS leaders to take urgent action:
- Publish regular, trust-level data on corridor care so we can understand where harm is being caused and how to address it, including in the hospitals serving North Yorkshire.
- Improve local reporting and transparency so health and care leaders in Humber and North Yorkshire can react quickly to risks and patterns in corridor care and waiting times.
- Strengthen discharge pathways and community support to help free up hospital capacity and reduce the bottlenecks that often lead to people waiting long periods in corridors.
- Ensure clear communication with patients and carers about expected waits and what support is available during their care journey.
