The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) (2025a) latest report, On the Frontline of the UK's Corridor Care Crisis, paints a stark and deeply troubling picture of the conditions in which nurses are currently working across the NHS. The report reveals that nursing professionals are routinely delivering care in corridors, storage areas, waiting rooms and even unsuitable makeshift spaces such as in cupboards and car parks. The evidence from frontline nurses highlights an unacceptable erosion of patients’ dignity, safety and quality of care.
This growing crisis has been exacerbated by systemic underfunding, chronic workforce shortages, and a failure to reform social care provision. Nursing staff, already stretched beyond capacity, are bearing the brunt of these failures. As Professor Nicola Ranger, general secretary and chief executive of the RCN, emphasises in the report (RCN, 2025a) this is not just a failure of policy but a failure of political will. The normalisation of corridor care signifies a dangerous tipping point in the NHS's ability to provide safe, effective and humane care.
The human cost of corridor care
The RCN's (2025a) findings are deeply unsettling. Patients are being assessed, treated and, in some tragic cases, even dying in non-clinical spaces without adequate facilities. Nurses report instances of patients receiving diagnoses in corridors, frail and elderly individuals lying on trolleys for extended periods without privacy, and emergency interventions being delayed due to overcrowding. These conditions are not only distressing for patients but also place immense psychological strain on nurses, many of whom described feeling demoralised, ashamed and unable to provide the level of care they entered the profession to deliver.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council's (NMC) response to the report underscores the severity of the situation. Sam Donohue (2025), assistant director for national and regional outreach at the NMC, described the testimonies as ‘profoundly concerning’ and recognises that the current working conditions are leaving many professionals feeling ‘uncertain or distressed about the care they're able to provide’. She has also emphasised (Donohue, 2025) the importance of adhering to the NMC (2018)Code, which is intended to guide professional judgement, even in the most challenging circumstances. However, this response, while acknowledging the dire situation, does little to address the root causes of the crisis.
Impact on students
For nursing students and nursing associate students, the conditions highlighted in the RCN report present significant concerns about their education, training and long-term career prospects. Practice placements make up 50% of every programme and are a cornerstone of nursing education, offering students invaluable hands-on experience under the supervision of qualified professionals (NMC, 2023a; 2023b). However, when care is being delivered in chaotic and unsafe environments, the learning experience is severely compromised.
Due to the lack of proper facilities and support, students learning in corridor care settings may struggle to develop essential communication and relationship management skills, and proficiency in nursing procedures (NMC, 2024a; 2024b) Furthermore, witnessing and participating in substandard care environments can have lasting psychological impacts, leading to increased stress, burnout and disillusionment with the profession before their careers have even begun. The persistent exposure to high-pressure conditions with little respite may also contribute to attrition rates, further exacerbating workforce shortages.
Policy and structural failures
The current crisis in corridor care is symptomatic of broader systemic issues within the NHS. Key factors include insufficient bed capacity, delayed discharges due to inadequate social care provision, and chronic underinvestment in workforce planning. The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan acknowledges these challenges, but implementation remains slow, and the immediate pressures on frontline staff continue to escalate (NHS England, 2023).
A crucial part of addressing this crisis is ensuring that staffing levels align with patient needs. The RCN's (2025b) Safe Staffing campaign has long advocated for legally enforceable nurse-to-patient ratios, a measure that has been successfully implemented in other healthcare systems, such as in parts of Australia and in California, USA. Without such measures, corridor care will continue to be a tragic norm rather than an exception.
Signposting resources and advocacy
It is imperative that registered and nursing students and nursing associate students have access to resources that can support them in navigating these challenging conditions. Here are some key resources:
- Ending Corridor Care Campaign (RCN, 2025c): linked to this report and a previous report (RCN, 2024), this initiative advocates for policy changes and increased transparency regarding patient conditions in non-clinical spaces. More information is available at https://tinyurl.com/Corridorcare
- Raising Concerns Toolkit (RCN, 2025d): guidance for nurses on how to report unsafe practices and protect both themselves and their patients. Available at https://www.rcn.org.uk/employment-and-pay/raising-concerns
- Principles for Assessing and Managing Risks Across Integrated Care Systems (NHS England, 2024a): a framework for managing risk in overstretched healthcare environments. Available at: https://tinyurl.com/NHSEPrinciples
- Principles for Providing Safe and Good Quality Care in Temporary Escalation Spaces (NHS England, 2024b): a guide to ensuring the highest possible standards of care in non-traditional spaces. Available at https://tinyurl.com/NHSESafe
Conclusion
The information presented by witnesses in the RCN (2025a) report is a wake-up call that cannot be ignored. Corridor care is not simply a symptom of an overburdened system; it is a fundamental failure of our healthcare infrastructure. The solutions require both immediate interventions – such as increased staffing and temporary capacity expansions – and long-term structural reform, including investment in the nursing workforce and social care sector.
For nurses, nursing students, and the wider profession, this is a defining moment. Collective advocacy, policy reform and sustained investment are essential to restoring dignity to patient care and ensuring that nursing professionals can work in environments that support rather than hinder their ability to provide safe, effective, and compassionate care (Wakefield et al, 2021).
‘Corridor care is not simply a symptom of an overburdened system; it is a fundamental failure of our healthcare infrastructure’
The NHS is at a crossroads; the choices made now will determine the future of healthcare delivery in the UK.