Corridor care is a problem that won’t go away, the Government must grasp the nettle

Once again the dire state of hospital care is laid bare. Nothing quite epitomises the challenges that the NHS faces than the ever persistent problem of corridor care.

The number of patients in England being cared for in hospital corridors or makeshift areas remained above 3,000 a day for the second month in a row, as the NHS experiences a “summer surge”.

The unprecedented heatwave had understandably contributed to difficult working conditions in the health service.

But corridor care should never have become an accepted practice in frontline care. It is an unwanted hangover from the Covid crisis.

Corridor care is not only unsuitable for patient care, it also strips vulnerable people of their dignity.

None of this is the fault of hardworking staff on the frontline. The doctors, nurses and ambulance workers continue to try their best in difficult circumstances. Corridor care is also unfair on them.

The summer surge does not explain away this stubborn trend of patients being treated in corridors and even broom cupboards. Winter is coming and it will inevitably heap further pressure on the NHS.

Andy Burnham’s Government must pick up the mantle and end the practice of corridor care by the end of this Parliament.

However, it is easier said than done. Progress will continue to be slow unless the backdoor to the NHS, the social care system, is fixed.

Burnham has sent out positive early signals but the longer that the country has to wait for reform the more problems such as corridor care will persist.