Nearly 3,000 patients a day had to be cared for in hospital corridors or makeshift treatment areas in England last month, according to newly published statistics. This is the first time such data has been released, highlighting the scale of the challenge facing the NHS in tackling what ministers describe as “unsafe” and “unacceptable” care.
What is corridor care?
Corridor care occurs when patients spend more than 45 minutes waiting for an appropriate place to receive treatment. In A&E departments, this can involve corridors, side-rooms, or makeshift areas lacking proper equipment to ensure safety and dignity. On wards, it refers to patients waiting 45 minutes or more for a bed. Ministers have pledged to eradicate the practice by 2029.
May figures revealed
The figures show that during May, an average of 2,241 patients per day experienced corridor care in A&E, while 669 did so on wards. NHS analysis found that 20 trusts accounted for more than half of corridor care cases in A&E, and 20 trusts accounted for over two-thirds elsewhere in hospitals.
Health Secretary James Murray said: “Corridor care is unacceptable, undignified and has no place in our NHS. That is why, for the first time, we are publishing this data to shine a spotlight on where the problems are greatest and ensure trusts get the support they need, with the vast majority of corridor care concentrated in a small number of organisations.”
Waiting list rises
It has also been revealed that the waiting list for routine hospital treatment in England has risen for the first time in six months. An estimated 7.22 million treatments were waiting to be carried out at the end of April, relating to 6.11 million patients, according to NHS figures. This is up from 7.11 million treatments and 6.02 million patients at the end of March. The increase means the size of the list has returned to where it stood in February, reversing the fall that took place in March.
Responding to the latest NHS performance statistics, Tim Gardner, Deputy Director of Policy at the Health Foundation, said: “Today’s figures reflect a huge effort of NHS staff to maintain hospital care against the backdrop of a challenging month, including a heatwave and another round of industrial action by resident doctors. The waiting list for routine hospital treatment increased to 7.22 million in April, with a slight worsening of waiting times and the number of very long waits, following rapid gains in March ahead of the interim targets.”
Emergency care under pressure
Urgent and emergency care continued to face severe pressure in May. 75.7% of patients waited less than four hours in A&E departments, which remains short of the NHS’s interim target of 78% by March 2026. Today’s data also highlights, for the first time, the full scale of ‘unacceptable’ corridor care in NHS hospitals, with nearly 3,000 instances per day of patients spending at least 45 minutes in spaces not appropriate for clinical care in May.
“To deliver on the government's ambitions to cut waiting times, end corridor care and wider changes to improve care outside of hospital, the NHS needs to be able to recruit and retain a highly skilled workforce, backed by strong management. Ensuring the upcoming workforce plan is robust and credible will be critical to the success of the 10-Year Health Plan,” Gardner added.
Measles deaths reported
Meanwhile, it has been revealed that two children in England have died from measles this year. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said one child died from “acute measles” and another child's death was linked to the “late effects of measles.” This comes as measles continues to circulate in many parts of the country. So far this year, there have been 736 cases compared with 959 cases for the whole of 2025, new figures show. Many of the cases have been linked to outbreaks in London and the West Midlands. The UKHSA said the majority of cases were among unvaccinated children aged 10 and under.
