Responding to today's NHS winter sitreps, RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive, Professor Nicola Ranger, said: 

“These figures show that before the cold weather hits and the flu season peaks, the health service is already struggling to cope with numbers across the board higher than last year. Just this week, nursing staff sounded the alarm on 12h+ waits, an indicator of corridor care. Today’s data shows the picture has got worse since 2024 and will likely deteriorate even further as hospitals struggle to discharge thousands of patients each day.

"The Secretary of State rightly acknowledged the crisis in our hospitals yesterday, but said the problem may only be solved by 2029. The government cannot expect patients to endure four more years of poor and dangerous care. Every day, thousands of people up and down the country are forced to receive treatment in full view of other patients in inappropriate places such as corridors, cafes and even toilets where nursing staff are unable to easily access potentially life-saving equipment. It is undignified and unsafe.

"As a matter of urgency, the government must improve staffing levels and capacity in emergency departments, and invest in community services where staff can keep people healthy at home and out of hospital. Nursing staff have the expertise to overcome this crisis – they now just need the backing of government.”

Ends

Notes to editors

Last week, an average of 1,717 beds were occupied by patients with flu, and 69 by flu patients requiring critical care, compared to 1,098 and 39, respectively, during the same period last year.

The number of patients who spent more than 12 hours from the decision to admit to actual admission in October 2025 was 54,314, compared to 49,616 during the same month last year.

The average number of patients remaining in hospital who no longer meet the criteria to reside increased to 13,232 last week, up from 11,969 during the same week last year, a 11% increase.

Yesterday, in response to the RCN’s report that ‘Corridor care surging in hospitals as nursing staff warn of ‘devastating’ winter ahead’, the Health Secretary Wes Streeting said in an interview with LBC that he would “consign corridor care to history where it belongs." He also said that, “Well, I want to do that over the course