The British Medical Association (BMA) has backed the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales’ call for an urgent action plan from the Welsh Government to end corridor care.

BMA Cymru Wales, the doctors’ association in Wales has long campaigned for Welsh Government intervention to end the unsafe practice of treating patients in inappropriate spaces such as corridors, on chairs, and in waiting areas.

Last year, a joint petition* by BMA Cymru Wales and RCN Wales gathered over 10,000 signatures after doctors and nurses raised the alarm on the issue with members reporting a rise in incidents and the acceptance and normalising of the practice in hospitals throughout Wales.

Dr Manish Adke, chair of the BMA’s Welsh Consultants Committee said: 

“Across Wales, patients are increasingly being cared for in corridors, waiting areas, and other unsuitable spaces due to chronic overcrowding and resource shortages within NHS hospitals. 

“This practice exposes vulnerable individuals to a lack of privacy, dignity, and essential care, while staff struggle to deliver safe treatment without adequate equipment or support.

“Such conditions are not only distressing for patients and their families, but also place healthcare professionals in impossible situations, forced to choose between unsafe options.

“Despite our joint petition with RCN Wales and the subsequent debate in the Senedd last December, we are yet to see any meaningful action.

“We welcome and fully back the call from the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales for an urgent action plan, we hope this includes implementing the calls set out in our petition”

Ends

Notes to editors

*The joint petition by the RCN and the BMA calls on the Welsh Government to immediately:

1. Begin recording and reporting on corridor care in Wales, starting by making it a ‘never event’ for patients to receive care in chairs for more than 24 hours
2. Pause reductions in NHS Wales hospital beds. Nationally review capacity and deliver a clear, costed workforce plan to ensure hospitals and wider care settings can meet future demand
3. Invest in community-based care by:
   - increasing the number of District Nurses (and nurses with a community nursing master’s degree) back to, and above, 2010 levels to meet demand.
    - restoring the proportion of NHS Wales funding in general practice to historic levels, with aspirations to increase, so that we train, recruit and retain enough GPs to move toward the OECD average number of GPs per 1000 people
4. Prioritise prevention and early intervention. Sustainable emergency care needs a strong focus on population health and early diagnosis to reduce avoidable crises.