Today (29 April), nursing staff and doctors came together during a press conference to urge the Welsh Government to take immediate action to end the practice of treating patients in corridors, chairs, waiting areas and all other inappropriate areas. 

RCN members from across Wales also met with Members of the Senedd (MS) to share their concerns for patient safety and the morally distressing effects on nursing staff.

We’re asking the public to sign the petition after nursing staff and doctors have overwhelmingly reported being forced to treat patients in unsafe and undignified environments. Their testimonies highlighted the dire consequences of corridor care; including frail, elderly patients waiting days in chairs, patients in waiting areas, corridors and by nursing stations with no privacy, resulting in missed diagnoses, delayed treatment, disorientation and deconditioning. 

Helen Whyley, Executive Director of RCN Wales said:

“We are beyond breaking point. I have travelled across Wales and witnessed people in pain, confused and frightened, with no privacy, no dignity and no proper care environment. 

“Treating patients in corridors and other inappropriate areas is not nursing – it is crisis management in a system that is failing. 

“Corridor care is unsafe, undignified, and unacceptable. The Welsh Government must act now-working with health unions and NHS leaders-to implement urgent and meaningful changes.” 

“Every day that we delay, more patients suffer. Patients deserve better. Nurses deserve better. Wales deserves better.” 

Stephen Kelly, chair of the BMA’s Welsh Consultants Committee said:

“When a patient is not placed in a bed space there’s a chance something vital may be missed, there’s no access to monitoring equipment and no privacy to carry out certain procedures. 

“This is dangerous and is putting patients' lives at risk, we urge the Welsh Government to work with us to put a stop to this practice. 

“We’re extremely concerned that the ‘normalising’ of seeing patients in completely inappropriate spaces will mean that patients come to significant harm which is hugely distressing for patients but also NHS staff. 

“This affects everyone in Wales, and we urge people to sign the petition and help us to put an end to corridor care.”

How you can help

Watch and share our animation

Learn more about corridor care and why we need to put a stop to it. 

Watch in English 

Watch in Welsh

Sign and share the petition

Pressure the Welsh Government to take urgent steps to ensure that every patient is treated with dignity and given the best chance to survive and recover. 

Add your name to the petition to eradicate corridor care.