Overview
- NHS England’s first nationwide figures show an average of about 2,241 A&E cases and 669 ward cases per day recorded as corridor care in May 2026, a total close to 2,910 incidents daily based on 8am snapshots.
- Corridor care is logged when a patient spends 45 minutes or more in a clinically inappropriate space such as a corridor, waiting room or other areas lacking at‑bed services, privacy and normal facilities.
- NHS analysis finds the problem is highly concentrated, with 20 trusts responsible for more than half of A&E corridor care and 20 trusts for over two thirds of ward incidents, and some trusts reporting more than 100 daily cases.
- Authorities have sent specialist improvement teams, asked the worst‑affected trusts to create local plans and set a seven‑point national plan to eradicate corridor care, while unions and clinicians warn of safety and dignity harms and raise concerns about possible under‑reporting.
- The figures come as emergency departments saw record demand in May and routine waiting lists rose again to about 7.22 million treatments, increasing pressure on beds and creating risks for patient flow and elective care recovery.