Don't blame the flu, experts say as they predict a winter of gridlock in hospital wards

ALMOST one in five patients in UK emergency departments are being cared for in corridors and waiting rooms at any one time, a study suggests.

- 

Experts said the findings show that the ‘shameful practice of corridor care is endemic!

The study, carried out by Royal College of Emergency Medicine's (RCEM) Trainee Emergency Research Network (Tern), analysed five snapshots taken from 165 A&E departments in March 2025.

It found 17.7% of patients, or more than 10,000 people, were receiving care in “escalation areas” which were classed as any area not routinely used for care unless capacity in the emergency department is exceeded.

This included corridors, waiting rooms, doubled-up cubicles and ambulances waiting outside to offload for more than 15 minutes.

The proportion of escalation area patients in nonclinical areas such as corridors ranged from 54.5% to 61.1%, according to the study.

Researchers said: “National guidance states escalation area use is not acceptable - this research demonstrates it is routine.”

The study also highlighted that the proportion of sites without any immediate resuscitation cubicle capacity ranged from 10.5% to 26.2%.

Researchers said this represents ‘a significant patient safety issue’