Major issue continues to plague Welsh hospitals according to industry body

People in Wales are continuing to receive care in hospital corridors, a study has found, as experts have warned that patients and staff are being put at risk across the country.

The Royal College of Nursing has highlighted the "failure" of the Welsh Government as more than half of the people receiving NHS care or with a loved one being cared for say they experienced or witnessed care delivered in a corridor or inappropriate setting. A YouGov poll carried out UK-wide found that over 28% of people in Wales saw people being treated in corridors in the past six months.

In 2025, RCN Wales surveying members working in NHS Wales hospitals found that almost two thirds (61.8%) of staff said corridor care was a problem where they work, highlighting "a serious and ongoing threat to patient safety, dignity and outcomes."

A mental health nurse in Wales warned that there is a "regular occurrence" of staff being forced to treat patients in the corridor. The nurse said that providing care in unsafe environments can increase the risk of self-harm and suicide due to unsecured fittings and objects in corridors.

A second nurse, working on the frontline said: "Emergency departments are no longer able to function and we are causing harm to patients. Corridor care must stop."

The industry body said the practice has become normalised, leaving nursing staff distressed, demoralised and unable to deliver the standard of care patients deserve.

RCN Wales associate director of nursing Nicky Hughes said: "Corridor care is not an inevitable consequence of winter pressures or staff shortages – it’s a symptom of a system that has been allowed to drift into crisis. Our members told us clearly last year that corridor care had become widespread and entrenched in NHS Wales, and the latest UK-wide polling shows that nothing has improved.

"Nursing staff are doing everything they can, but they cannot deliver safe and dignified care in corridors, waiting rooms or storage spaces. Patients deserve better, and so do the professionals who care for them."

The Welsh Government said: "Care in undesignated or non-clinical environments is not acceptable. It compromises patient dignity, safety, and staff wellbeing. We share the determination to eliminate this practice through system-wide reform and have been clear with health boards of our expectations for improved and timely flow of patients through hospitals and back to their local communities.

"We have provided in excess of £200m additional funding this year to help people leave hospital when they are ready ensuring they receive the right care, in the right place and at the right time."