Thank you to everyone who got in touch about corridor care in the National Health Service (NHS). I appreciate hearing the personal experiences many constituents shared with me.
I agree that provision of care in corridors due to a lack of space in emergency departments is completely unacceptable. No patient should ever be left waiting for hours in hospital in such an undignified way.
I worry that, due to the mismanagement of the health service over the past decade, treating sick patients in corridors has become normalised. Under the previous Government, it was even masked under the term “temporary escalation spaces” to downplay its severity. I strongly believe that corridor care should never be considered normal or acceptable.
I am pleased that through the Government’s Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26, investment has been made to improve performance this winter, including funding additional ambulances, expanding same‑day and urgent treatment centres, and shifting more care into the community to reduce pressure on hospitals. The plan also includes a commitment to publish data on corridor care for the first time, so that progress can be properly monitored and the system held to account.
Alongside this, wider work is underway to improve access to primary care and reduce avoidable pressure on emergency departments, informed by Lord Darzi’s independent review of the NHS. The review highlighted how difficulty in securing GP appointments can lead to higher A&E attendances, and steps have since been taken to increase GP capacity, with over 2,000 new GPs recruited to help strengthen neighbourhood‑level care.
I recognise, however, that many patients and staff continue to face extremely challenging conditions. With proper investment and reform, I believe the tide is beginning to turn on the NHS. There is still a long road ahead, but I know that the Government is determined to keep its foot on the gas. Thanks to the steps taken by this Government, waiting lists are falling, satisfaction with GPs is rising, and ambulances are arriving faster. Lots has been done but there is lots more still to do.
I will continue to follow this issue closely, including the forthcoming publication of corridor care data.
Thank you once again to everyone who raised this with me.