In the Ayr Advertiser today:

Ayrshire MP Irene Campbell has highlighted concerns about Crosshouse Hospital during a Parliamentary debate on corridor care. The North Ayrshire & Arran Labour MP told the Commons: “I would just like to highlight that the Scottish Government do not record or publish any statistics on the number of patients being treated in corridors. However, we know that it happens. .

“Crosshouse Hospital, which serves my constituency, was recorded in January as having one of Scotland’s most under-pressure emergency departments. It exceeded capacity by 50 per cent in December, revealing corridor care conditions in the hospital. Does my hon. Friend agree that it is important to record accurate data so that we can track improvement?”

Labour MP Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, who was hosting the debate, replied: “It is regrettable, and patients and their families deserve better. Absolutely, if we cannot accurately assess the issue in full, it is impossible to deal with, and I hope the Minister will talk today about how she will commit to revising this definition to make it more robust.”

This Westminster Labour MP toadying to the UK Government is, of course, careful not to reveal this:

Corridor care shocking 4 times as common in Labour Wales than in SNP Scotland 

From ITV News 16 March 2026, based on their own survey: A special report on the corridor care crisis in Wales where it appears to be more common than in anywhere else in the UK. 89 000 treated in corridors in one health trust, ther image at the top and and on their website:

Journalists also spoke with 40 people who said they had witnessed or experienced corridor care in hospitals run by the health board. A nurse at Ysbyty Gwynedd, who spoke anonymously, claimed treating patients in corridors has become “normal”. https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2026-03-16/thought-i-was-going-to-die-investigation-reveals-reality-of-corridor-care

RegularA&E attendance is not a reliable measure of corridor care.

It comes as new figures reveal almost 89,000 patients were treated in corridors or other non-clinical environments between 2022 and the end of October 2025 in hospitals run by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

In February this year, an undercover investigation by the S4C current affairs programme Y Byd ar Bedwar filmed dozens of patients receiving care on corridors in the emergency departments at two north Wales hospitals.

There is a good proxy for corridor care and that’s 12 hour waits in A&E. By definition if you’re waiting 12 hours after triage assessment and maybe some treatment before getting a bed, that is ‘corridor care.’ A fuller AI rationale for the use of 12 hour waits, based heavily on the views of the Royal College of Medicine, Age Concern and even NHS England itself, is below.

A&E demand varies from month to month and, of course peaks in the winter months, so comparing one month, December, over the last four years is revealing.

So, all A&E waits are lower than they were 4 years ago and lower than they were last year. The first media reports of ‘corridor care’ in Scotland were around July 2024. Given that A&E waits, especially 12 hour waits, are now significantly lower than in 2024, that suggest politics rather than facts.

Further, the discussion of methods below points to: In England, the key metric is 12 hours from decision to admit (most precise for corridor care). In Scotland (and sometimes advocated UK-wide), it’s often 12 hours from arrival, which includes initial assessment time and may overestimate pure corridor waits.

Sources:

https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/healthcare-system/urgent-and-unscheduled-care/accident-and-emergency/interactive-charts/how-long-people-spend-in-ae/

https://rcem.ac.uk/other-news/scottish-government-duty-bound-to-end-corridor-care-and-ae-overcrowding

Methods:

Why 12-Hour A&E Waits Are a Good Proxy for Corridor Care

Corridor care (also called trolley waits or care in temporary escalation spaces) occurs when emergency departments (EDs) are overcrowded due to a lack of inpatient beds, forcing patients who need admission to be treated in non-clinical areas like corridors, waiting rooms, or chairs. This is unsafe, undignified, and linked to patient harm.The most accurate proxy in NHS data—particularly in England—is the number of patients waiting more than 12 hours from the decision to admit (DTA) to actual admission (known as “12-hour trolley waits” or “12-hour DTA waits”). Here’s why this metric strongly indicates corridor care:

1. Direct Link to Bed Availability Delays
   Once a clinician decides a patient needs admission (DTA), the wait is almost entirely due to no available ward bed. Patients remain in the ED, often on trolleys in corridors or other overflow areas, receiving ongoing care there. Short DTA waits mean quick transfers to proper wards; prolonged waits (especially >12 hours) mean patients are stuck in unsuitable ED spaces.
2. Official and Expert Recognition
   • NHS England and the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) explicitly link these waits to corridor care. For example, NHS spokespeople have stated: “It is totally unacceptable that patients are waiting over 12 hours to be admitted to a hospital bed, and in some cases, this wait is occurring in corridors.”
   • The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) describes 12-hour waits as “the clearest indicator of corridor care taking place,” since staff cannot move admitted patients to wards.
   • Age UK and Liberal Democrat analyses equate 12-hour trolley waits directly with corridor care experiences.
3. No Direct National Tracking of Corridor Care
   The NHS does not routinely publish data on the exact number of patients treated in corridors (though some site-specific or survey data exists). In its absence, 12-hour DTA waits serve as the best available quantitative proxy, capturing the severity of exit block (delayed transfers out of ED).
4. Evidence of Harm and Scale
   RCEM research shows long waits (8–12 hours and beyond) are associated with excess mortality (e.g., one additional death per 72 patients waiting 8–12 hours). These waits overwhelmingly occur in corridor-like settings during overcrowding.

Note on Variations in Measurement

• In England, the key metric is 12 hours from DTA (most precise for corridor care).
• In Scotland (and sometimes advocated UK-wide), it’s often 12 hours from arrival, which includes initial assessment time and may overestimate pure corridor waits.
  Both are used as proxies, but DTA is more specific to the bed-delay phase where corridor care predominates.

In summary, 12-hour waits (especially DTA) reliably signal when ED overcrowding forces care into corridors, making them a vital—though imperfect—measure of this systemic issue. Experts like RCEM presidents call it a “national shame” and urge its elimination through better bed capacity and flow.