Introduction
Petition Number: P-06-1534
Petition title: End corridor care in Wales.
Text of petition: In Wales, patients are currently receiving care on trolleys or chairs for hours on end, often days, in pain and suffering. Doctors, nurses, and health care staff are forced to treat and care for patients in corridors, car parks, and other places where safe, dignified care isn't possible and where they lack access to life-saving equipment.
The Royal College of Nursing Wales and the BMA Cymru Wales are jointly raising the alarm on patient safety for Welsh Government to eradicate corridor care.
The RCN and the BMA call on the Welsh Government to immediately:
1. Begin recording and reporting on corridor care in Wales, starting by making it a ‘never event’ for patients to receive care in chairs for more than 24 hours.
2. Pause reductions in NHS Wales hospital beds. Nationally review capacity and deliver a clear, costed workforce plan to ensure hospitals and wider care settings can meet future demand.
3. Invest in community-based care by:
• increasing the number of District Nurses (and nurses with a community nursing master’s degree) back to, and above, 2010 levels to meet demand.
• restoring the proportion of NHS Wales funding in general practice to historic levels, with aspirations to increase, so that we train, recruit and retain enough GPs to move toward the OECD average number of GPs per 1000 people.
4. Prioritise prevention and early intervention. Sustainable emergency care needs a strong focus on population health and early diagnosis to reduce avoidable crises.
The text provided above is submitted by the petitioner. The petitions team make every effort to ensure it preserves their authentic voice. This text has not been verified for accuracy, or errors, and may contain unverified opinions or assertions.
Mae'r testun uchod yn cael ei gyflwyno gan y deisebydd. Mae'r tîm deisebau yn gwneud pob ymdrech i sicrhau ei fod yn cadw ei lais dilys. Nid yw'r testun hwn wedi'i wirio am gywirdeb, neu wallau, a gall gynnwys barn neu honiadau heb eu gwirio.
1. Background
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Wales explains that ‘corridor care’ refers to patients waiting for treatment, assessment or care – or being treated, assessed or cared for – in inappropriate areas such as corridors and car parks that are not designed for this purpose.
The RCN and British Medical Association (BMA) in Wales launched this joint petition in April 2025 urging the Welsh Government to take immediate action to end the practice of treating patients in corridors, chairs, waiting areas and all other inappropriate areas.
A BBC News article on 29 April 2025 set out some of the concerns relating to corridor care in Wales.
Reports on corridor care
RCN Wales published Ending corridor care in Wales: A briefing for Members of the Senedd in January 2025. The briefing explains what corridor care looks like, why it happens and what action needs to be taken to eradicate it.
A report was also published by the RCN on 16 January 2025 outlining the impact of corridor care on patients and healthcare professionals in hospitals in Wales and across the UK.
Data on corridor care
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine carried out a ‘snapshot’ survey that was conducted on three different dates and times in January and February 2025 with all 12 Emergency Departments in Wales submitting results. The findings, published on 24 March 2025, revealed that all 12 Emergency Departments in Wales had people being treated in corridors or waiting areas, and on at least one of the three sample days, all had patients being cared for in the back of ambulances. In total 44% of patients in departments at the time were waiting for an in-patient bed.
The BMA’s website states that the petition calls on the Welsh Government to start recording and reporting on corridor care in Wales due to the lack of data on this issue.
2. Welsh Government action
The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care wrote to the Committee on 20 October 2025 stating that “the Welsh Government does not endorse the routine delivery of care in non-clinical or unsuitable environments.”
The letter sets out action being taken by the Welsh Government in relation to corridor care. This includes:
§ A National Handover-45 Taskforce established in June 2025 to support health boards and the Welsh Ambulance Service to deliver system-wide improvements;
§ Further consideration is being given to the national escalation processes and strengthening accountability through the national daily system call;
§ Work is underway for delivery of a broader public statement on the availability and transparency of NHS data;
§ The NHS Wales Planning Framework 2025-28 sets expectations for health boards to optimise bed capacity and improve patient flow across the system; and
§ A set of 35 refreshed policy actions published in December 2024 for A healthier Wales: long term plan for health and social care.
3. Welsh Parliament action
During Plenary on 19 February 2025, a Welsh Conservatives debate was held on RCN Wales’ Ending corridor care in Wales: A briefing for Members of the Senedd.
Questions concerning corridor care have also been raised on other occasions during Plenary, including on 21 January 2025; 7 May 2025; 9 July 2025; and 1 October 2025.
The Health and Social Care Committee is currently holding an inquiry into the future of general practice in Wales. This includes consideration of funding for general practice and workforce challenges.
Every effort is made to ensure that the information contained in this briefing is correct at the time of publication. Readers should be aware that these briefings are not necessarily updated or otherwise amended to reflect subsequent changes.