A damning report from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has laid bare the shocking and persistent reality of 'corridor care' within the NHS, with patients enduring conditions described as a form of 'torture' within a 'broken system'.
'A Type of Torture': Harrowing Testimonies from the Frontline
The findings, based on a survey of 436 nurses conducted in January 2026, paint a devastating picture of collapsing care standards. Nurses reported treating patients not in wards, but in freezing corridors, dining rooms, staff kitchens, and even rooms for viewing the deceased.
One nurse from south-west England stated patients are made to feel "deeply embarrassed, objectified, judged, uncared for," adding, "that’s what we subject them to, a type of torture." Another in the South commented, "We would not treat animals like this in a veterinary practice, so why in a hospital?"
The accounts include specific, tragic incidents: a patient left in a chair for four days, and another who died after choking undetected in a corridor. In a stark illustration of lost dignity, nurses described holding up white sheets to shield patients during intimate procedures. One elderly patient was forced to eat their meal next to someone who was vomiting due to severe overcrowding.
Staff Morale 'Past the Point of No Return'
The union warned that these conditions are eroding the wellbeing of NHS staff, pushing morale "almost past the point of no return." The psychological toll on nurses is severe and widespread.
A nurse in the West Midlands spoke of going home to worry about colleagues "being forced to deliver this undignified care," suffering pre-shift anxiety. Another in the South East said their anxiety was "at an all-time high," losing sleep and checking live waiting times to mentally prepare. "The system is broken and so are we," one nurse confessed.
Geographically, the crisis is national. A nurse in north-west England spoke of their heartbreak at finding elderly patients still in corridors after two days. In London, nurses reported elderly patients on trolleys for 24 hours, leading to incontinence and respiratory viruses causing "extreme critical incidents including death." A nurse in Scotland described a sense of "frustration and hopelessness."
Calls for Action and Government Response
RCN General Secretary Professor Nicola Ranger called on the Government to take control, demanding investment in more beds, nurses, and community and social care services. "The tragedy is that every day, people are coming to harm just when they need excellent care the most," she said, noting that corridor care has become a "permanent fixture" since the RCN declared a national emergency over 18 months ago.
A YouGov survey of 2,150 UK adults found 69% believed the Government’s pledge to eradicate corridor care in England by the 'end of parliament' is 'too slow'.
In response, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson acknowledged the situation was "unacceptable and undignified" and pointed to immediate steps including a £450 million investment to expand urgent care, building 40 new same-day emergency care centres, and 15 mental health crisis centres.
Rory Deighton of the NHS Confederation stated that corridor care was the "highly visible tip of the iceberg" of a whole-system patient flow issue, exacerbated by over a decade of underinvestment in capital and infrastructure. He emphasised leaders are focusing on improving patient discharge and social care provision to tackle the root causes.
