Nine people a day received corridor care in 'clinically unsafe' setting at Blackpool Victoria Hospital in May

An average of nine patients received corridor care at Blackpool Victoria Hospital’s emergency department each day of last month, according to latest figures from NHS England.

Corridor care is defined by NHS England as treatment that does not take place in a clinically appropriate and safe setting, such as in a busy A&E department. For a setting to be deemed ‘appropriate’ it must include at-bed services like oxygen and call bells.

The privacy of patients must also be maintained and they should have access to food, water and toilets. Lights should also be turned off and noise levels must be low enough to allow the patient to sleep.

If treatment does not meet any one of these criteria, is it classed as corridor care. It is the first time figures for corridor care have been published by NHS England. Two sets of data have been released, showing corridor care in hospital emergency departments and also in hospital wards.

Reduction in corridor care

The figures cover patients receiving treatment, waiting for assessment, admission or transfer, but do not include ambulance handover delays. The number of people waiting 12 hours at A&E at Blackpool Victoria Hospital has been cut by 43 per cent amid efforts to reduce corridor care.

The issue of corridor care is one which is being targeted by authorities, with NHS leaders in North West Trusts with the highest levels of corridor care receiving specialised and tailored support as part of plans to eradicate corridor care by the end of this Parliament.

Blackpool’s improvements are attributed to senior staff being present in A&E and using data to predict busy periods.

“Corridor care is not acceptable and that is why in the North West we’re backing trusts with tailored clinical support through GIRFT and expanding urgent care capacity so more people can be treated quickly in the right place,” said Dr Michael Gregory, Regional Medical Director for NHS England in the North West.

“These changes, alongside a relentless focus on discharge, flow and early senior clinical decision-making, are already helping cut long waits, and we will keep working with local partners to deliver safer, more dignified care for everyone.”

Blackpool Victoria Hospital was contacted for comment.