A BBC investigation has found that more than 52,000 patients waited longer than 24 hours to be admitted to hospitals across north-west England last year.
According to the investigation, patients are lining up on trolleys or sitting on chairs, stuck in A&E because there are no beds for them in the wards. The Royal College of Nursing has described the situation as a "national emergency" and called on the government to end the practice.
NHS England said the NHS was currently experiencing its busiest winter on record and hospitals around the country had been "experiencing rising demand for a number of years". Dr Michael Gregory, regional medical director for NHS England in the North West, stated: "Providing care in corridors is not what we want for our patients, and we are working hard to reduce the use of corridor care and tackle long waits."
Police and Authority Response
The government publishes the number of people waiting more than 12 hours for a bed in a ward every month. However, the BBC investigation found that many of those 12+ hours waits are actually one, two or even three days.
Simon Browes, the Royal College of Nursing's North West regional director, said: "We're hearing from members who are going to work, feeling anxious and upset. We've had members saying they're sitting in their car crying before they go into work."
Investigation Underway
The BBC sent a Freedom of Information Request to every acute hospital trust in the region covering the whole of 2025. The data showed big variations between hospitals, with Whiston, Royal Blackburn, Royal Preston and Arrowe Park particularly struggling with long waits.
A major factor contributing to the current situation is the crisis in social care provision, which sees older, more frail patients trapped in hospital beds for days or even weeks because a suitable care package cannot be found. Community health provision is also an issue, with successive governments announcing plans to shift healthcare away from hospital settings.
Official Statements
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the government would end corridor care by the end of the current parliament in 2029. However, Simon Browes said the situation demanded immediate action, citing a significant drop in applications for nursing degree programmes and high attrition rates from nursing programmes.
Dr Michael Gregory stated: "Accident and Emergency departments in the North West, and nationally, have been experiencing rising demand for a number of years and the NHS is currently experiencing its busiest winter on record." He added that providing care in corridors is not what the NHS wants for patients, and they are working hard to reduce the use of corridor care and tackle long waits.
