Society for Acute Medicine president Dr Vicky Price has raised concerns over the government’s focus on future digital developments such the NHS online hospital initiative while patients seeking emergency care are suffering “unprecedented harm”.
She said while developments to reduce waits for some patients are welcome, there is “no excuse” for failing to acknowledge and address the deepening crisis in acute and emergency care.
Dr Price warned there are “people dying as a direct consequence of a system in crisis” and called for immediate action to address the root causes – lack of hospital bed capacity, delayed discharges, critical workforce shortages and social care provision.
“While we welcome any initiative that may improve access for some, anything other than directly addressing the crisis happening now in urgent and emergency care – one that is causing unprecedented harm to patients – is unacceptable.
“Urgent and emergency care, which includes acute medicine, has simply not been afforded the priority it requires and the crisis continues to deepen – and it will for as long the core problems remain unresolved,” she said.
“The dangers associated with prolonged stays in emergency departments are well established: for every 72 patients who wait between eight and 12 hours for admission, there is one excess death.
“This evidence has been available for years and keeps coming, as is evident again today in the HSSIB report on corridor care. There is no justification for this continuing.”
She referred to data published in March last year by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine which showed around one in five patients attending UK emergency departments were routinely receiving corridor care — treated in hallways, waiting rooms, converted offices, or other non-clinical spaces.
“This position has deteriorated further under winter pressures,” she explained.
“Patients subjected to corridor care are disproportionately older, frail and living with multiple long-term conditions, often alongside mental health needs – as my colleagues and I highlighted in the Acute Medicine Journal last year. These patients have been failed by successive governments now.”
Dr Price pointed to the latest data on delayed discharges which show that, in November alone, there were 13,357 delayed discharges in England at an estimated cost of £225 million for that month – yet no firm plans for how social care issues will be resolved.
She also highlighted the findings of a recent snapshot survey of 42 acute medical units across the UK which showed 10% of hospitals had patients waiting over 72 hours for a medical bed, with one-third of sites reporting more than 20 patients stuck in emergency departments – and over 10% with more than 50.
It also found 88% of units reported waits of over 12 hours for medical beds, and more than a third of medical same day emergency care (SDEC) services were operating with bedded (admitted) patients.
Dr Price said: “These findings underline the scale and the urgency of the problem – and the urgent need for action to address the growing pressure on hospitals.
“This snapshot survey paints a stark picture of a system stretched to breaking point, with patient care and safety at risk. Digital innovation alone will not resolve a crisis rooted in capacity, workforce and flow issues.
“The UK has one of the lowest numbers of hospital beds per head of population in Europe. Yet, under intense financial pressure, trusts continue to reduce bed numbers and impose recruitment freezes.
“In 2024 there were an estimated 16,600 excess deaths; 2025 is likely to be worse and, without urgent intervention, 2026 will add further unacceptable loss of life. These are real people dying as a direct consequence of a system in crisis.
“We continue to call for immediate, coordinated action to address hospital bed numbers, discharge delays and workforce constraints – and to end unsafe care environments for our most vulnerable patients.”
Acute medicine deals with the immediate and early treatment of adult patients with a variety of medical conditions who present to hospital as emergencies.
The specialty receives the majority of patients admitted from A&E and helps maintain the flow of patients through emergency departments to avoid exit block.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/hospital-corridor-care-nhs-investigation-b2896278.html