Patients dying in corridors as UK hospital standards 'collapse': report

Overwhelmed hospitals in the UK are leaving patients "coming to harm" as they wait for treatment in overcrowded corridors, a report from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said Thursday.

The latest blow to the National Health Service (NHS) reveals that nine in 10 nurses surveyed said "patient safety is being compromised."

Nearly seven in 10 (66.8%) reported delivering care in "overcrowded or unsuitable places" daily, including in corridors, converted cupboards, car parks, and even bereavement rooms.

"The experiences of over 5,000 nursing staff across the UK highlight a devastating collapse in care standards, with patients routinely coming to harm," the RCN stated.

The report condemned the normalization of "corridor care," where nurses lack access to essential life-saving equipment in cramped spaces.

One nurse in East England said corridor care in their hospital was "not an exception, it's the rule."

The findings come as NHS data revealed that 54,000 patients in emergency departments last month had to wait over 12 hours for a hospital bed, a 23% increase from the previous December.

The report, based on surveys conducted in December 2024, includes heartbreaking testimonies from nurses across the UK, highlighting the dire state of care.

Despite a slight drop in flu cases, NHS figures indicate that last week marked the busiest period yet this winter, with 96% of hospital beds full.

The report includes disturbing accounts, such as nurses treating up to 40 patients in a corridor and reports of pregnant women miscarrying there.

Nurses also described being unable to provide life-saving CPR due to overcrowding, with one recalling a patient dying after cardiac arrest in a corridor.

"This devastating testimony from frontline nursing staff shows patients are coming to harm every day," said RCN General Secretary Nicola Ranger. "Vulnerable people are being stripped of their dignity, and nursing staff are being denied access to vital lifesaving equipment."

The RCN declared a "national emergency" over hospital overcrowding and unsuitable care in June 2024. The Health Foundation's Tim Gardner noted that delays in emergency care are now the worst seen since records began in 2011.

With 7.5 million people on the NHS waiting list and over three million facing delays of more than 18 weeks, the crisis is deepening.

Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer has promised to address NHS issues, rolling out a plan to expand community health centers to ease hospital pressures.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting acknowledged the seriousness of "corridor care," calling it "unsafe" and "undignified," but emphasized that restoring the NHS would "take time."