WIREDGOV

We have updated our guidance for inspectors assessing safety and quality of hospital care provided in a non-designated clinical space.  

Across the NHS, patients are receiving ‘corridor care’ in spaces that were not designed, staffed or equipped for patient care, such as waiting rooms, corridors, and other temporary care environments. This reflects the current lack of capacity to manage rising demand.

Delivering care in such spaces should not be regarded as acceptable and must not become normalised. But, in situations where physical capacity is unable to meet the demand for clinical space, hospital staff need to make risk-based decisions to decide the safest possible approach.

The updated guidance will help our inspectors collect the right evidence to assess if hospitals have: 

• carried out a robust assessment of the safest place to care for patients
• taken all appropriate steps to reduce safety risks and avoid preventable harm
• created a plan to stop the use of any non-designated clinical space from the time of its implementation 
• put plans in place to prevent the use of corridor care or other non-clinical spaces from becoming routine  
• recognised the use of corridor care as part of an urgent system response to patient demand, that requires system-wide solutions

Dr Toli Onon, CQC’s Chief Inspector of Hospitals said: 

People should be receiving safe and effective hospital care in an environment that allows for their privacy and dignity to be protected – that’s what patients deserve and what staff want to be able to deliver every time. We know that being treated in a corridor or other inappropriate space is undignified and unsafe for patients. Staff morale is also affected when they are unable to provide the standard of care they strive for.  

“We recognise that in times of heightened pressure trusts will need to make difficult risk-based decisions to determine the safest place for patients to be - but corridor care must not become normalised. Where a hospital does use a corridor or other temporary space, we will look for assurance they are doing everything possible to mitigate risk and ensure patients are protected from harm. We will also seek evidence that trusts are working with system partners and patients to enable timely discharge and improve patient flow and that they have they have a plan in place to ensure corridor care is not used as a long-term solution. We have seen evidence of actions to mitigate risk at some trusts - but every trust needs to have these in place.