In early 2026, hospitals across England declared critical incidents as demand overwhelmed services. Patients are waiting for hours, and sometimes days, in corridors because hospitals have run out of safe space.
This blog looks at what the latest NHS data shows, why corridor care continues and what this means for patient safety.
What the recent NHS data tells us
Recent NHS data from early January shows that hospital pressure is widespread and severe.
In Nottinghamshire, the emergency department at the Queen’s Medical Centre was designed for 350 patients per day. Since Christmas, it has regularly treated over 500 patients daily. On 7 January 2026, 550 patients attended in one day. This is a 43% increase above capacity.
As a result, patients faced “significant and unacceptable delays”. Bed demand exceeded all forecasts, leaving patients waiting in corridors due to a lack of ward space. Similar issues were reported at Sherwood Forest Hospitals, where slow discharges also could not meet the demand of patients wanting to be admitted.
Pressure extended beyond Nottinghamshire. Three trusts in Surrey and one in Kent declared critical incidents due to rising flu, norovirus and staff sickness. At the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate, beds were at full capacity, limiting emergency admissions.
In East Suffolk and North East Essex, hospitals in Ipswich and Colchester also declared a critical incident. Trust leaders confirmed “significant pressure” and urged families to support speeding up discharge to free beds.
Nationally, NHS England reported an average of 2,924 flu patients per day in hospital in early January. This post-Christmas rise has intensified pressure across emergency departments, reinforcing that corridor care reflects a system-wide capacity crisis, not isolated failures.
Why is corridor care is still happening?
Several factors are driving corridor care across England.
First, winter viruses surged again after Christmas. NHS figures show flu cases rose by 9% in one week in early January. Admissions had already peaked in December, then increased again due to holiday mixing.
Second, staff sickness increased at the same time demand rose. This reduced safe staffing levels in emergency departments and wards.
Third, hospitals are unable to discharge patients quickly. Many patients are medically fit but cannot leave because home care or social care is unavailable. This blocks beds and forces emergency patients into corridors.
As a result, multiple trusts across Surrey, Kent, Birmingham, Staffordshire, Suffolk and Wales declared critical incidents within days of each other.
What happens when a critical incident is declared?
Nimish Patel, our Head of Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence, explains
When a Trust has declared a critical incident, it does not just affect care in the A&E as it also has a knock on effect across the hospital and the availability of appointments across departments added to existing backlogs which can also lead to delayed diagnosis and a failure to treat conditions at an early stage before further complications arise. The Government is attempting to fight the backlogs of appointments by rescheduling them across disciplines but there is a wider issue in relation to social care and the reluctance to have flu injections which has contributed to the development of “ corridor care”.
A critical incident is the highest alert level in the NHS. It means a trust cannot safely deliver all services.
When incidents are declared, hospitals will:
- Postpone non-urgent operations
- Open every available bed and space
- Redeploy staff from other departments
- Suspend non-essential activity
You can read more about NHS escalation levels on the official NHS England site.
What does this mean for patients?
Patients treated in corridors often face reduced privacy and dignity, longer waits for pain relief or assessment and delays in tests and treatment.
Medical directors confirmed that emergency teams must treat the sickest patients first. This means people with non-life-threatening conditions may wait many hours or be redirected elsewhere. Patients were repeatedly urged to use NHS 111 before attending A&E unless it was an emergency.
When legal advice may be needed
If corridor care leads to avoidable harm, patients may need advice from a specialist solicitor. This could include delays in diagnosis, lack of monitoring or unsafe treatment environments.
You can read more about patient rights and NHS care standards in one of our previous articles.
Our team of Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence Solicitors can provide guidance on whether standards of care were breached. Get in touch with our team today on 0161 928 3848 or email mch@mchaleandco.co.uk
