Raw testimonies of nursing staff show a healthcare crisis that is unsafe, undignified, and unacceptable.
Corridor Care—the practice of treating patients in hallways, chairs, or other inappropriate settings—has become a daily reality for many frontline health care workers. Overcrowded facilities, insufficient resources, and high patient demand have forced nurses and other staff to deliver care in environments that compromise safety, dignity, and quality.
The RCN report, On the frontline of the UK’s corridor care crisis, raises a stark warning of the normalisation of this practice, using unfiltered accounts of nursing staff who speak of the dire threat to patient safety they witness every day.
One nurse in Wales recounted, “there is no privacy for patients, no access to essential equipment like oxygen or resuscitation tools, and no call bells to ensure patient safety.”
Nursing staff are experiencing feelings of intense guilt and helplessness. Another respondent adds: “It feels like you can’t give any of your patients the full care they need and deserve. It’s undignified, there’s no privacy, and sometimes patients are put there without even a handover.”
Helen Whyley, Executive Director RCN Wales, said: “Corridor Care is a symptom of a system under immense pressure. It’s time to invest in our NHS, support our health care staff, and prioritise the well-being of patients.”
The RCN is urging the Welsh Government and NHS leaders to take immediate action to end Corridor Care. RCN members in Wales and the public can email their member of the Senedd directly using our online tool here: Email Your MS.
If you witness or have no choice than to provide care in an inappropriate setting in your workplace, your voice can encourage change. The RCN’s Raising Concerns Toolkit provides step by step guidance on how to report incidents if you’re concerned about patient safety.
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Welsh hospitals in crisis – Welsh Conservative debate calls on Labour to take urgent action
The Royal College of Nursing’s report, ‘On the Frontline of the UK’s Corridor Care Crisis’ highlighted that there is a crisis happening in hospitals across Wales, because people are being treated in unsafe, undignified and unacceptable environments. The report went on further to say that Welsh Labour Government inaction is resulting in patients dying.
‘Corridor nurses’ wanted to help ease A&E crisis
Instead of dealing with the crisis in our Welsh hospitals, the Welsh Labour Government have axed hospital beds and downgraded our hospitals, results in Wales’ Emergency Department performance being the worst in Great Britian.
Staggeringly, the former First Minister of Wales, and current Finance Secretary, Mark Drakeford, said, “If you’re asking me, if I had a blank sheet of paper and could just do the things I think needed to be done, we would have fewer hospitals in Wales.” He went on further to say, “We have too many hospitals and too many beds.”
Following this report, the Royal College of Nursing Wales have made eight recommendations to the Welsh Labour Government, to ensure action and transparency on corridor care in Wales.
In the Senedd next week, the Welsh Conservatives are bringing forward a debate calling on the Welsh Labour Government to enact the Royal College of Nursing’s eight recommendations.
Commenting ahead of the debate, Welsh Conservative Shadow Secretary for Health and Social Care, James Evans MS, said:
“Under the Welsh Labour Government, people in Welsh hospitals continue to be treated in unsafe, undignified and unacceptable environments.
“On Labour’s watch, we’ve seen hospital beds axed, hospitals downgraded, and new ones promised but not delivered, and Emergency Department performance that is worse than elsewhere in Great Britain.
“In the Senedd next week, we’re calling on the Welsh Labour Government to enact the Royal College of Nursing’s eight recommendations to ensure urgent action and transparency on corridor care in Wales.”
Published on the RCN’s website, seen here, the RCN have demanded urgent action and transparency on corridor care in Wales. Helen Whyley, Executive Director of RCN Wales, said:
“Nurses are facing immense challenges in maintaining high standards of patient care amidst the growing prevalence of corridor and chair care in hospitals. The RCN’s recent report starkly highlights the stories of nurses who are striving to provide quality care in these difficult conditions. Despite the lack of proper facilities and the strain of overcrowded hospitals, nurses continue to demonstrate remarkable dedication and resilience. They often work long hours under intense pressure, ensuring that patients receive the best possible care even when resources are stretched thin.
“Our recommendations provide a clear and achievable roadmap to ensure patients receive care in the right place, at the right time, and by the right professional. The nursing workforce is ready to lead the way – but we need the Welsh government to act now.”
The motion which will be debated next week reads:
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Notes the Ending corridor care in Wales report published by the Royal College of Nursing Wales.
2. Regrets that people in Welsh hospitals are being treated in unsafe, undignified and unacceptable environments.
3. Calls on the Welsh Government to enact the report’s eight recommendations in full.
Ending corridor care in Wales report
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