CQC tightens oversight of A&E corridor care
- Feb 16
- 2 min read
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published new guidance for inspectors on how to assess care delivered in non-clinical spaces, including hospital corridors, amid ongoing pressure on emergency departments.
The updated guidance responds to the growing use of temporary and improvised spaces to deliver care when emergency departments exceed capacity. Corridor care, once considered an exception, has increasingly become a feature of NHS urgent and emergency care during periods of sustained demand.
According to the CQC, the guidance aims to ensure that patient safety, dignity, and quality of care are properly assessed when treatment occurs outside designated clinical environments. Inspectors are instructed to examine whether patients are being cared for in spaces that are appropriate, safe, and respectful, even when capacity pressures are high.
The regulator has emphasised that corridor care should not be considered acceptable or routine. Instead, inspectors are asked to assess whether its use reflects systemic pressures that pose risks to patients, rather than short-term operational challenges.
Key areas of focus include privacy and dignity, access to appropriate monitoring, infection prevention, safeguarding, and the ability of staff to respond promptly to deterioration. Inspectors will also look at how decisions are made about placing patients in non-clinical spaces, including whether alternative options were explored and how long patients remain there.
The guidance reinforces that patients receiving care in corridors or similar spaces may be at increased risk due to limited access to equipment, reduced observation, and compromised communication. It also highlights the impact on staff, who may struggle to deliver safe care when working outside standard clinical settings.
The CQC has stated that where corridor care is observed, inspectors will consider whether trusts have clear escalation policies, risk assessments, and governance arrangements in place. This includes examining how leadership teams monitor capacity pressures and how patient safety concerns are identified and acted upon.
The regulator has also acknowledged the wider context of NHS operational strain, including bed shortages, delayed discharges, and rising demand for emergency care. However, it has made clear that systemic pressure does not remove the responsibility to protect patients from harm.
This move follows increasing concern from professional bodies, patient groups, and clinicians about the normalisation of corridor care and its implications for safety and dignity. The CQC has indicated that the updated guidance is intended to strengthen oversight and ensure that the risks associated with non-clinical care environments are consistently identified and reported.
The guidance will now be used across inspections of urgent and emergency care services in England.