Full Breakdown
Yvette Cooper Calls for Urgent Action to End Corridor Care for Children
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: Push to Eliminate Hospital Corridor Care for Children
Health Secretary Yvette Cooper has instructed the chief executive of NHS England to develop urgent new standards for the treatment of children in accident-and-emergency (A&E) departments and to produce an immediate plan to eradicate “corridor care” for paediatric patients. The government’s broader target is to end corridor care across the NHS by the end of the current parliamentary term.
Background & Context
“Corridor care” describes patients who remain in hospital corridors after a decision to admit has been made, often because beds are unavailable. The practice has risen sharply this year, driven by an exceptionally busy summer that set a record 7.3 million A&E attendances between June and August, and by forecasts of a demanding winter season compounded by flu, norovirus and COVID-19 pressures. Health officials have warned that the system faces a “twin crisis” as summer heatwaves and seasonal illnesses leave little recovery time for staff and facilities.
Data & Statistics
- People waiting more than 12 hours from decision to admit: 50,582 in September, up from 44,951 in August.
- Patients waiting at least four hours: 129,199 in September, up from 118,550 in August.
- Average daily corridor-care patients in September: 3,310 (2,549 in A&E, 761 elsewhere), up from 2,865 per day in August.
- The government has announced £140 million for urgent-care capacity, to be deployed across 14 schemes, including a £42 million overhaul of the A&E department at Queen’s Hospital, Romford.
Official Statements & Responses
The Whittington Health NHS Trust, where a recent paediatric death occurred, expressed condolences and noted that staff sometimes provide care in temporary clinical areas, including corridors, during periods of exceptional demand.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I'm clear that child health needs to be a much greater priority for the NHS,” — Cooper. The, the health secretary
- “She said: “Winter will be more challenging for our NHS this year, after such a heavy summer.” — Yvette Cooper, health secretary
What’s Next
The £140 million package will fund new urgent-care centres, ambulance fleet upgrades, and emergency-department refurbishments, with implementation slated for the coming months. NHS England is tasked with finalising the child-specific corridor-care standards and reporting progress toward the parliamentary deadline for ending the practice.