When members raised the alarm that patients were being treated in corridors next to compressed oxygen cylinders, RCN health and safety rep Helen knew she had to do something.
At her trust's emergency department in Nottingham, Helen, a deputy sister and paediatric oncology nurse, stepped in to make important changes for patient and staff safety. Read on to find out how she did it.
What is corridor care?
Corridor care refers to delivering care to patients in inappropriate spaces, such as corridors, storerooms, offices and even toilets. Often, this means staff are unable to access oxygen, cardiac monitors, suction devices and other lifesaving equipment.
It means patients are receiving diagnoses or having confidential discussions in public, and being treated, fed, washed, and helped to use a toilet without privacy. Some patients even die in these surroundings.
Members have told the RCN they're at breaking point as they struggle to give patients the care and dignity they deserve.
In January 2025, the RCN published a report – On the frontline of the UK's corridor care crisis – following a survey of our members. In it, almost seven in 10 of the 5,408 respondents said they deliver care in overcrowded and unsuitable places, such as corridors, daily.
Corridor care is a major challenge facing nursing staff, driven by factors such as a lack of investment in nursing. While only systemic action can solve the overall problem, members such as those in Nottingham showcase how even in challenging circumstances, collective action can lead to change in the workplace.
Taking action
Nursing staff in the ED raised the alarm to Helen that patients were being treated in corridors. There were 20 compressed gas oxygen cylinders stored in the main entrance, near the patients being treated, and not enough fire doors.
This was a fire risk to staff and patients, and Helen's colleagues were worried about the impact this could have on patient care.
It was also leading to moral distress – the psychological anguish that anyone can experience when they’re constrained from pursuing the ethically correct action they wish to take.
Staff were also experiencing work-related stress and health and safety risks related to corridor care. For example, handling sharps, like needles, in areas not designed for patient care, that may be cramped or poorly lit.
Helen signposted concerned staff to the RCN raising concerns toolkit and sent a letter to the trust's chief nurse with the members’ signatures. This set out the impact that corridor care was having on their health and wellbeing.
Improving conditions is a health and safety must
She gave the employer sufficient notice of her intention to carry out a workplace inspection using the RCN corridor care inspection checklist.
The trust co-operated and gave Helen permission to take photographs.
This is in line with the Safety Representatives and Safety Committee Regulations 1977 (Northern Ireland 1979), which state that health and safety reps can conduct workplace inspections if they give their employer reasonable notice.
- Read next: What is the RCN doing about corridor care?
Following the inspection, Helen fed back to the trust that the workplace inspection flagged some serious concerns, and using the RCN health and safety reps’ template, sent a report of the breaches to the executive team.
After a series of in-person meetings to discuss the issues, which included escalation to the chief executive with a firm deadline for a response, the trust took action.
What happened next?
Management began to implement plans to remove the oxygen cylinders from the main entrance, remove beds from corridors, and reduce work-related stress and moral injury for staff. Crucially, as part of this, they confirmed there wouldn’t be any corridor care in the ED.
“If something doesn't feel right, you should consider raising a concern. If your colleagues are concerned too, it's time to act. Contact your health and safety rep or the RCN advice team for help with this,” says Helen.
RCN Senior Health and Safety National Officer Louise Church says Helen's success highlights the vital role health and safety reps have.
"By conducting a formal workplace inspection, which is a function of a health and safety rep under the Safety Representatives and Safety Committee Regulations, Helen was able to identify key risks and document potential breaches," Louise says.
“In this trust, she used legislation to drive meaningful change. The RCN is committed to supporting reps with expert guidance to ensure members' health, safety and wellbeing is protected. However, elsewhere, the fight continues.”
Helen also reflected on what the win means in reality.
“Corridor care places both patients and staff at risk. By working with the trust, we were able to take actions such as review risk assessments, identify breaches in safe systems at work – practical steps to reduce corridor usage,” she says.
“Improving conditions for staff isn’t just a workforce issue. It’s a health and safety must.”
Making a difference
Four months on, Helen reports that the key issues she tackled in this setting haven’t returned. Patients feel safer and staff morale has improved, but she continues to monitor staffing levels and her colleagues’ sense of wellbeing.
Her next step is to conduct a follow-up health and safety inspection, and continue to monitor patient flow and raise any more concerns that come up. She adds: “Members chose to get organised, and that’s driven real change here.”
Find out more:
- What the NHS 10-Year Health Plan means for nursing staff in England, including about corridor care.
- The impact of corridor care in care homes.
- How the RCN is protecting staff and patients from asbestos in public buildings.
