In June, an average of 44 patients per day spent more than 45 minutes receiving "corridor care" at the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle, according to newly released NHS England data. This marks a slight increase from May, when the average was 43 patients per day. The figures highlight ongoing pressures on accident and emergency units across the North East, with the RVI being the worst affected trust in the region.
Regional comparison
Compared to other North East trusts, the situation at the RVI is more severe. At the South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Trust, only two patients per day received corridor care. Similarly, Gateshead's Queen Elizabeth Hospital reported just two patients per day, while the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs the specialist emergency care hospital in Cramlington, had 15 patients per day. The County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust recorded 22 patients per day.
Definition of corridor care
NHS England defines corridor care as treatment that does not occur in a clinically appropriate and safe setting. Criteria for an appropriate setting include access to at-bed services such as oxygen and call bells, privacy, access to food, water, and toilets, and the ability to control lighting and noise levels to allow sleep. If any one of these criteria is not met, the care is classified as corridor care.
Trust response and improvement plans
A spokesperson for Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust said: "This is not the experience we would want for our patients, and our teams across our hospitals are working hard to address the pressures in the Emergency Department to always ensure the safety, wellbeing, privacy and comfort of our patients." The trust is undertaking a phased programme of work, including a new Urgent Treatment Centre that opened at the RVI in January, a new triage and assessment space due to be completed this year, and a refurbishment of the Emergency Department in 2027 to increase the number of private cubicles.
National context and government action
June was described by the NHS as its "busiest ever" June, with emergency department attendances reaching 80,000 per day across the month for the first time. Reducing and eliminating corridor care has been a key aim of the Labour Government. New Health Secretary James Murray called such care "unacceptable." His predecessor, Wes Streeting, earlier announced funding for a £7 million expansion of the trust's Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) offering, following the establishment of the new Urgent Treatment Centre adjacent to A&E.
