RCN Wales has renewed its call for the Welsh Government to begin collecting and publishing corridor care data across Wales, following the publication of the first national corridor care figures in England.

The publication of corridor care data by NHS England follows sustained campaigning by nursing staff and provides, for the first time, a clearer picture of the scale of the unsafe practice in England’s hospitals.

RCN Wales Executive Director Nicola Williams said:

“Today’s publication of corridor care data in England demonstrates why transparency matters. We cannot tackle a problem we do not fully understand and are not measuring.”

“Corridor care is unsafe, undignified and unacceptable. Nurses across Wales have repeatedly raised concerns about patients being treated in inappropriate spaces because of pressures on the health and care system.

In recent weeks I have visited a number of hospitals across Wales where I observed patients in chairs, on trolleys in corridors, squeezed into spaces that are significantly overcrowded or not designed for patients, some had been there for well over 12 hours. There was one consistent feature which was the look of fear in patients eyes as they watched the continual movement and activity going on loudly in very close proximity to them. These patients were mainly in gowns, with no privacy, no dignity, no space and no confidentiality. Nurses told me this is now normalised, happens every day and staff cannot care adequately for patients which is causing harm and distress to patients, and significantly affecting nurses morale as they go home after every shift knowing that tehy have not given patients the care that they deserve.

“Just last week, the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care described corridor care as an unsafe practice and made clear his determination to address it. We welcome that recognition. The next step must be ensuring Wales has the data needed to understand where and when corridor care is happening so that effective action can be taken.”

“Without consistent national and organisation wide data, it is impossible to establish the true scale of the problem, identify trends, target resources effectively or measure progress over time.

“RCN Wales is calling on the Welsh Government to commit to publishing corridor care data by Health Board every month. We also want agreement on a national data set and publication of the first set of figures as soon as possible.”

“This is not about collecting statistics for their own sake. It is about establishing a baseline against which improvement can be measured and ensuring accountability for delivering safer care for patients.”

“We also continue to call for the publication of the two national reviews into healthcare capacity, alongside clear policy recommendations for action. Understanding the relationship between capacity pressures and corridor care will be essential if we are to eliminate this practice.”

“Nursing staff have been warning about the dangers of corridor care for years. Patients deserve care delivered in safe and appropriate clinical environments, and staff deserve the resources and capacity needed to provide it.”

“The publication of data in England is an important step. Wales must now follow suit and ensure we have the evidence needed to eradicate corridor care for good.”