Corridor care investigation launches following RCN campaign

An investigation into corridor care in England has been announced, following sustained campaigning on the issue by the RCN.

The Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) – which carries out independent patient safety investigations in England’s NHS and independent health care settings – will investigate “temporary care environments”.

It is the first time official investigators will examine the impact of corridor care. HSSIB will provide a report directly to the Westminster government, expected in December 2025.

The findings of this initial investigation will shed more light on the issue, including the perspectives of patients and their families, which could encourage more action on this issue across all levels.

Earlier this year, we published a landmark report on corridor care, drawing on testimony from over 5,000 nursing staff. It revealed harrowing accounts of unsafe treatment being delivered in inappropriate spaces on a daily basis. We also convened a coalition of trade unions, professional bodies, charities and patient groups to demand urgent action.

We’ve called for mandatory national reporting on corridor care – a commitment NHS England has made but not yet delivered. In the absence of this data, we hope the HSSIB investigation will shine a light on the scale and consequences of the practice. We expect ministers to officially respond to the findings.

This is a significant moment, made possible by the courage of RCN members who shared their experiences. Their voices helped raise the alarm and push corridor care onto the national agenda.

The HSSIB plans to speak to staff, patients and families, to understand:

1. how, where and when temporary care environments are being used
2. the needs of patients using temporary care environments, including those from vulnerable patient groups, and the associated patient safety issues
3. the impact of temporary care environments on patients and staff and how organisations are managing the associated patient safety issues.

The HSSIB has invited the RCN to contribute to the investigation with insights from our members and staff. We will continue to share feedback and evidence and encourage our members to take part in the investigation.

We first declared corridor care a national emergency in June 2024 with the publication of a report exploring the systemic causes of corridor care, and have continued to be vocal on the topic, bringing it to the attention of the public and politicians, including the prime minister.

Following the publication of our member testimony report earlier this year, the RCN and members met MPs and peers in March 2025, calling corridor care “a system failure”. We reiterated our calls for sufficient funding to end care in inappropriate settings.

We continue to ask for mandatory national reporting of patients being cared for in corridors, to reveal the extent of hospital overcrowding, as part of a plan to eradicate the practice. We also need our members to raise concerns when care in inappropriate settings takes place.

For meaningful progress to be made to eradicate corridor care, demand within the acute sector must be carefully managed and reduced. This will require patient capacity to be increased in the right places; challenges addressed in primary and social care; and the ambition to move care into the community – a key aspect of the NHS 10-Year Health Plan – must be prioritised and properly funded. Alongside this, additional nursing resources in primary care and social care can help keep people healthier for longer, reducing the likelihood of complications leading to avoidable admissions.

RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger said: “This is testament to the bravery of thousands of nursing staff who spoke out about a devastating collapse in care standards. No patient should languish in a corridor, a chair or be forced to endure intimate examinations in public areas. This investigation must shed more light on the scale and impact of these shocking conditions and mark the beginning of the end for this unacceptable practice.

“We will be encouraging nursing staff to take part in the investigation and share their experiences. But we are clear that ministers shouldn’t wait for this investigation to conclude before taking action to eradicate corridor care. That includes publishing national level data on how widespread the issue really is, which the government still fails to do.

“With the support of health leaders and ministers, this investigation could be a significant moment for patient safety. Alongside new investment to bolster the nursing workforce, there is hope that we can transform patient care.”

The HSSIB investigation applies to England only, but what does the picture look like in other countries?

• In Northern Ireland, the Department of Health has committed to recording and reporting on corridor care from June 2025. RCN Northern Ireland is also building a coalition of groups and individuals that share our ambition of eradicating corridor care.
• In Scotland, our work to influence the approach that Healthcare Improvement Scotland takes to reporting on corridor care has resulted in the strengthening of their scrutiny on the issue.
• In Wales, campaigning to put an end to corridor care is under way, including a petition for this topic to be considered for a debate in the Senedd. You can help by signing the petition (it is not limited to people who live in Wales).

The HSSIB is keen to hear from anyone with an interest in this issue, including health care professionals, carers, patients and families. If you would like to offer your contribution to this investigation before they publish the final report, please email your experiences and insights to enquiries@hssib.org.uk

If corridor care is happening at your workplace, it is important to raise concerns. Find out more in our raising concerns toolkit. You can also find out about further support available from the RCN on our website.