Hospitals ‘can’t avoid’ using corridors to provide care amid calls to address risks
Hospitals have ‘no choice’ but to use corridors for patient care
- An investigation by the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) found that some NHS hospitals are adapting corridors and non-clinical spaces for patient care, installing features like plug sockets and emergency call bells.
- Senior hospital staff reported they "could not avoid" using these temporary environments due to persistent patient flow issues, viewing it as the "best worse" option compared to leaving patients unseen.
- The HSSIB identified significant patient safety risks, including difficulties in monitoring deteriorating patients, increased infection risk, lack of piped oxygen and insufficient staff levels.
- The report urged health leaders to collaborate, systematically address these risks and called for a nationally agreed definition of temporary care environments and improved data collection.
- Healthwatch England highlighted severe patient experiences, including prolonged waits and deaths in corridors, while a senior medic criticised the government's focus on online hospitals over the immediate urgent care crisis.