Ending corridor care
Resources and guidance to support you
Corridor care is bad for patients and bad for health care staff.
Treating people in inappropriate spaces like car parks and waiting rooms has become increasingly common. It's unsafe, undignified and unacceptable.
Our campaign to end corridor care has led to the Health Services Safety Investigations Body launching a formal investigation into its shocking scale and impact. But there's a long way to go before it's outlawed for good.
Corridor care mustn't become normalised. If you have to deliver, receive or oversee care in an inappropriate space, use the resources on this page to raise the alarm and seek support.
Call it out to stamp it out
If you deliver corridor care
Report it as an incident
You must report it immediately through a Datix or other local process. If you don’t know the process where you work, our raising concerns toolkit explains more.
How to raise a concern
If you receive corridor care
Complain to your care provider
We can't allow corridor care to become normalised. That's why we urge patients, service users and their families to speak up when it happens.
How to make a complaint
If you have more to say
Contribute to an independent investigation
The Health Services Safety Investigations Body has launched an investigation into corridor care. If you have a story to tell about corridor care, make sure it's heard.
Add your voice
If you want to get more involved
Become a health and safety rep
Help make an immediate impact in your workplace as an RCN Health and Safety Rep. Put your passion for patient care to great use in this rewarding role.
Become a rep
Corridor care: a practical checklist
Whatever your role, feel empowered to identify and raise corridor care as an urgent issue with our simple checklist and template email.
Remember, it's not just corridors. Any care that's happening outside of appropriate spaces is unacceptable and should be addressed.
Access tailored advice
Advice for registered nurses
As a registered nurse, there are some extra steps you can take to help minimise harm when you see corridor care happening where you work.
Advice for the nurse in charge
If you're in charge of a department, ward or other health care setting where corridor care is happening or is likely to occur, there are some added responsibilities to be aware of.
Advice for health and safety reps
If you're one of our amazing health and safety reps, read our tailored guidance and access further resources to help you in this important role.
Is corridor care affecting your mental health?
You're not alone. Working in environments where corridor care is happening has left many of our members with moral distress and injury, which leads to burn out.
We're here to support you.
Our campaign to end corridor care
We're lobbying UK governments to end corridor care. Thanks to your testimonies, they're finally paying attention.
The Health Services Safety Investigations Body has launched a formal investigation and they want to hear from you. Email them directly at enquiries@hssib.org.uk.
You raised the alarm. Now it’s up to investigators to expose the full impact. There’s a long way to go, but their report will be handed directly to the government, increasing the pressure to outlaw corridor care for good.
Read the evidence
Our campaign is based on substantial evidence. Our reports are based on your testimony. They show the shocking impact on patients, staff and workplaces.
- RCN (2025), On the frontline of the UK’s corridor care crisis
- RCN (2024), Corridor care: unsafe, undignified, unacceptable
- University of Sheffield (2024), Overcrowding, corridor care and boarding
Corridor care in the news
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26 Aug 2025
Corridor care investigation launches following RCN campaign
Official investigators will consult with staff, patients and families about their experiences of “temporary care environments”
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3 Feb 2025
Corridor care: public backs RCN demands for swift government action
We're reiterating calls for urgent intervention as a poll finds half of the public think it should take the government no longer than a year to solve the corridor care crisis, if it acts now
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16 Jan 2025
Corridor care: 'Devastating testimony' shows patients are coming to harm
RCN report reveals harrowing statements from thousands of nursing staff, showing how widespread the issue is across the UK.
Work in Wales?
See how we're working towards a corridor care-free health system and get involved locally.
We regularly review our resources to make sure they're up to date and helpful for as many of our members as possible.
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