A stark investigation has revealed that NHS hospitals across England are being forced to install permanent medical infrastructure, including plug sockets and emergency call bells, in their corridors to cope with a severe shortage of beds.
"Cannot Avoid" Using Corridors for Patient Care
The Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) conducted the probe, visiting 13 hospitals between August and December 2023 and gathering evidence from four others. Senior staff confessed to investigators that they had made these adaptations because they "could not avoid using these spaces" for patient care.
The practice of treating patients in temporary care environments like corridors, offices, and storerooms has become increasingly common. The watchdog's report found that in every hospital observed, corridor care was a regular occurrence, not an isolated emergency measure.
Safety Risks and a Reluctant Normalisation
The investigation highlighted multiple serious safety concerns arising from this practice. These included:
- Major difficulties in properly monitoring patients and spotting those whose condition is deteriorating.
- An increased risk of infection for vulnerable individuals.
- A frequent lack of essential piped oxygen and other medical gases.
- Insufficient staff levels to safely manage patients spread across non-clinical areas.
Some senior hospital staff told the HSSIB they were deeply reluctant to install the equipment, as they "did not want to normalise" corridor care. However, others felt they had no alternative but to adapt the spaces to make them slightly safer, given the relentless pressure on beds.
Calls for National Definition and Underlying Solutions
The HSSIB report calls for a "nationally agreed definition" of temporary care environments, alongside better data on how and when they are used across the NHS. This would allow for consistent standards and risk assessments.
Saskia Fursland, a senior safety investigator at HSSIB, stated: "Until there is a solution to the complex underlying issues related to patient flow, we must recognise that hospitals may have no choice but to use temporary care environments."
In response, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "No one should receive care in a corridor. NHS England is working closely with trusts to reduce variation, tackle inconsistencies, improve data collection and reduce discharge delays, alongside social care colleagues." The statement underscores the official position while acknowledging the systemic challenges trusts are grappling with daily.
