𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Wes Streeting has suggested corridor care in the NHS will continue for years, as he pledged to end it by the next general election, “if not sooner”. The Health Secretary said the issue was being tackled with “urgency, focus and attention”.

Asked when he would consign scenes of patients being treated on trolleys to history, he said: “I want to do that over the course of this Parliament. That’s where I want to be. If I can get it done sooner, I will. We can’t have people being treated on trolleys in corridors. I’ve seen some reports over the last year or so of things like Costa Coffee outlets and the reception area being used to hold patients, and I do not think that’s acceptable.”

His comments on LBC Radio came after the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) accused the Government of acting with “insufficient urgency”.

Its analysis found that the number of patients facing trolley waits of over 12 hours in A&E had increased 90-fold in six years.

Some 1,281 people waited more than 12 hours for a ward bed between July and September in 2019. This rose to 116,141 during the same period in 2025.

The RCN also highlighted a rise in bed blocking. More than 13,000 patients remained in hospital despite being medically fit to be discharged in October.

Professor Nicola Ranger, RCN general secretary and chief executive, said: “Nursing staff and patients alike endured a horrendous winter last year, with corridor care rife across every service.

“Worryingly, after no respite in the summer, the signs point to the coming colder months being devastating and more dangerous for patients.”

The College is calling for increased staffing levels and more hospital beds, plus investment in primary, community and social care.

It also wants to see data on corridor care published for “transparency over care standards”.

“Nursing staff have repeatedly warned about a corridor care national emergency, but the lack of urgency in tackling the crisis is unacceptable.”