Corridor care is 'a system failure', RCN tells MPs

In a frank and open discussion in parliament, nurses told MPs how over-crowding, underfunded social care provision, and a lack of staff are creating a backlog in acute care and putting patient safety at risk.

They set out to those in the room, including several MPs who are members of the Health and Social Care Select Committee, and peers, that pressures in emergency settings are leading to people being treated in cupboards, chairs, corridors and other inappropriate areas.

They spoke of their frustration with excessive waiting times in emergency departments leading to avoidable deaths, and how normally resilient staff are in tears on shift because the care they’ve been trained to deliver is regularly compromised.

MPs heard of the emotional burden and moral injury affecting nursing professionals, as RCN members shared how patients expect long waits in inappropriate spaces, so widespread and ‘normal’ has the practice become.

Hosted by Labour MP Danny Beales, the meeting was an opportunity for the RCN and its members to continue raising awareness of the crucial issue of corridor care.

RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger attended the meeting to reinforce the impact of corridor care on members. She said: “I’m proud of our members who shared their powerful testimony in parliament today. They were able to raise awareness amongst MPs, brilliantly articulating the solutions that can turn this situation around and protect patients.

“This is a system failure. A lack of consistent investment in nursing – the largest profession in the NHS – has left us without enough staff to neither keep people well at home or deal with the pressures this puts on hospitals. The tragic result is patients lining corridors.

“We want government to make eradicating corridor care a priority in its 10-year plan by taking accountability for the scale of it and making a commitment to invest in nursing.

“As a profession, we need to be recognised and rewarded, not just for ourselves, but for our patients."

Above: RCN members, Professor Nicola Ranger and RCN President Bejoy Sebastian met MPs and peers in Westminster to express serious concern over corridor care

Nicola asked those MPs present to support the RCN and urge the government to act at a greater pace and scale to invest in nursing and solve the corridor care crisis.

A member at the meeting said: “I didn’t come into nursing to give this sort of care. I worry for new nursing staff starting their careers too – it's all they know, and it makes me wonder what sort of future they’re in for.”

Mr Beales said: “I was pleased to bring frontline nurses from the RCN to parliament to share their experiences of corridor care.

“As an MP, I am determined to help the RCN and nursing staff to turn this situation around. I know that investment in our brilliant nursing professionals will be key to that.”

Back in January, the RCN published its extensive corridor care report, with testimonies from more than 5,000 nursing staff, outlining the depth and breadth of the issue across the UK. This harrowing report follows a 2024 report that explored the underlying reasons for corridor care, and the solutions.

Whenever you see concerning practices in the workplace, including corridor care, raise a concern in line with your employer's policy. Raising concerns isn’t always easy, but it’s the right thing to do.

Read our guide on how to do this, created to help nursing staff based in both NHS and independent health and care settings. You can find a package of resources to support you on our website, including a template letter, and member checklist to help with raising concerns and more.

Main image: Director of Nursing Zebina Ratansi MBE, RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger and charge nurse Rachelle McCarthy at the meeting. Photography by Rob Anderman.