NHS nursing staff in England are predicting a “devastating” corridor care winter for patients in hospitals in the coming months, as new analysis reveals 12hr+ trolley waits for sick patients are surging, increasing by almost 9000%, a 90-fold rise in just 6 years.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) today accuses the government of acting with “insufficient urgency” since last winter, with the failure to invest in boosting capacity, in both hospital and community settings, as well as staff numbers, laying the ground for the situation to worsen.
New analysis released today shows how demand for hospital services has steadily increased since 2019, with little to no change in the number of staffed beds available. In 2019 (July to September), the number of people waiting more than 12hrs in A&E after a decision to admit stood at 1,281, rising to a staggering 116,141 in 2025 (equivalent months).
Meanwhile, over the same period, overnight bed capacity increased just 2%, leaving staff with too few safe beds in clinical spaces to treat patients. The small increase in bed capacity adds just 2,192 beds and when considered alongside the numbers waiting over 12 hours for emergency admission, means there were 52 individuals competing for each additional bed.
When looking at the government’s record and comparing those same months (July to September) between 2024 to 2025, there are 382 fewer beds, with 11% more 12+ hour emergency admissions waits.
The steady increase in demand in hospitals and lack of beds is compounded by the failure to boost capacity in community services, including social care. The latest NHS discharge data shows that in October 2025, an average of 13,117 patients remained in hospital every day despite being ready to be discharged. This is up from an average of 12,340 (+6%) the previous year.
Nursing leaders are “alarmed” at how bed capacity in hospitals has remained largely unchanged despite demand increasing. Professor Nicola Ranger, RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive, says "yet again this winter, nursing staff have been set up to fail and patients set up to suffer."
The analysis comes just a day before the official start of the NHS winter, in which the health service begins publishing its winter performance statistics.
In the absence of published data on corridor care, waits of 12hrs and more are the clearest indicator of corridor care taking place in hospitals, with staff unable to move people to a ward despite them being sick enough to be admitted. This leads to patients being put on trolleys, chairs, in corridors, cupboards and even offices. It leaves nursing staff without access to vital lifesaving equipment such as oxygen and suction, while patients are often forced to also endure intimate examinations in public areas.
A senior nurse working in an emergency department in London, said:
"Our emergency department this winter feels more difficult than ever. We’ve already seen record numbers of patients - many arriving sicker, waiting longer for the care they need, and receiving that care in a corridor instead of a properly staffed and equipped bed. The pressure is putting both patients and staff at risk but our job is impossible. We want to discharge people but our colleagues in the community and in social care are on their knees too."
Another senior nurse working in an emergency department in the South West of England, said:
“Staff are daunted about what could be the toughest winter yet. An overwhelming volume of patients through the doors, coupled with too few staff means many are being cared for in areas which are overcrowded. The 12hr+ delays are inevitable, with some patients waiting up to a day for an inpatient bed because discharges don’t keep up. It’s heart wrenching having patients sat in chairs in corridors as there are not enough beds, especially the elderly and vulnerable. Despite your best efforts, you can’t stop it from happening as the systems don’t move fast enough.”
In its new briefing, the RCN also criticises how beds in ‘temporary escalation spaces’ (TES) are included in NHS England bed capacity figures, giving the false impression that all beds are in safe clinical areas. TES beds “should be considered ‘corridor care’ as these devices and spaces are not intended or often even designed for clinical care”, the briefing says.
In its ‘Urgent and emergency care plan’ for 2025/26, NHS leaders and government committed in June to publishing data on incidences of corridor care, however almost six months later this has failed to materialise.
The new analysis released today also points to how pressures on services have led to a shocking rise in patients leaving A&E without receiving treatment. In 2019 (July to September), 99,937 left before being seen for treatment, but this rose to over 320k in 2025 (equivalent months) – a 220% increase. It suggests a growing frustration with understaffed, under resourced services which cannot meet the level of demand.
One of the government’s key shifts in its Ten Year Health Plan is moving care from hospital to the community, but as demand increased and overwhelmed hospitals between 2019-2025, the numbers of district nurses has actually fallen (-5%), with the workforce collapsing by 47% since 2009. District nurses are crucial to keeping older people, who account for a significant proportion of emergency admissions, well and out of hospital.
In January this year, thousands of nursing staff shared devastating testimony of patients enduring corridor care, with some dying and going undiscovered for hours. In June 2024, the RCN declared a “national emergency” over the issue of corridor care.
RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive, Professor Nicola Ranger, said:
“Nursing staff and patients alike endured a horrendous winter last year, with corridor care rife across every service. Worryingly, after no respite in the summer, the signs point to the coming colder months being devastating and more dangerous for patients.
“Nursing staff have repeatedly warned about a corridor care national emergency, but the lack of urgency in tackling the crisis is unacceptable. Bed capacity has remained static, nurse numbers in hospitals haven’t increased to the level required and community services are not being invested in anywhere near fast enough. Yet again this winter, nursing staff have been set up to fail and patients set up to suffer.
“To consign corridor care to history where it belongs, we need ministers to boost capacity at the front door, delivering new funding to improve staffing levels and the number of beds in hospitals. At the back door, we need to see a much more rapid timeline of investment to grow staff and provision in primary, community care and social care. Ministers must also stop delaying publishing the data on just how widespread corridor care is. Patients deserve transparency over care standards.”
Ends
Notes to editors
The RCN analysed NHS England data, focusing on the years 2019-2025. Measuring the period July to September allowed us to focus on the most recent available data, and make comparisons with the same period in previous years.
Key findings:
In A&E settings, between July to September (in 2019 and 2025), total emergency admissions waits over 12 hours rose from 1,281 to 116,141 patients (a difference of +114,860, or +8966%),
Overnight bed capacity, covering general and acute, learning disabilities, maternity, and mental illness settings, rose in Q2 (in 2019/20 to 2025/26) from 127,186 to 129,378 total beds (a difference of +2,192, or +2%)
We divided the increase in emergency admissions waits over 12 hours (114,860) by the extra bed capacity (2,192) to determine 52 of these patients for each of these additional beds.
The more recent total overnight bed figures taken from Q2 (2024/2025 and 2025/26) decreased from 129,760 to 129,378 (a difference of -382)
The more recent emergency admissions waits over 12 hours increased from 104,180 to 116,141 patients (a difference of +11,961, or +11%)
Total number of patients leaving A&E settings before treatment, between July to September (in 2019 and 2025), rose from 99,937 to 320,283 (a difference of +220,346, or +220%)
NHS England workforce figures for District Nurses in August (2019 and 2025) decreased from 4,268 to 4,068 full-time equivalents (a difference of -201, or -5%), and decreased from 7,643 in September 2009 (-3,575, or 47%), when the workforce publication began
NHS acute discharge situation reports data shows that in October 2025, an average of 13,117 patients remained in hospital every day who no longer met the criteria to reside. This is up from an average of 12,340 (+6%) in October 2024.
