Laura Barry retweetledi
#Feb2026 #NewResearch
📌 Understanding corridor and escalation area care in 165 UK emergency departments: a multicentre cross-sectional snapshot study
🔗 emj.bmj.com/content/early/…
We’re pleased to share a landmark multicentre study led by the RCEM Trainee Emergency Research Network (TERN) that provides the most comprehensive national snapshot to date of escalation area and corridor care across UK emergency departments.
📊 Key outcomes from this national study:
• Across 165 UK type 1 EDs, 10 042 patients (17.7%) were receiving care in escalation areas — spaces outside the usual clinical footprint such as corridors, waiting rooms, repurposed clinical areas and doubled-up cubicles — at five snapshot points in March 2025.
• The proportion of patients in escalation areas ranged over time from ~15.5% to over 21%, with the highest use at the end of a clinical night shift.
• Non-clinical spaces (including corridors and waiting rooms) consistently made up the majority of escalation area care, representing over half of the patients in these settings.
• ED occupancy pressures were stark: occupancy ranged from about 1.0 to 2.4 patients per cubicle, and up to 26% of sites had no resuscitation cubicles available at certain snapshots — raising patient safety concerns.
• Patients awaiting an inpatient bed consistently outnumbered those in escalation areas, highlighting flow and discharge challenges as central contributors to corridor care.
• Both paediatric patients and those with mental health presentations were found to be receiving care in escalation areas across all snapshots, despite national guidance recommending against it.
• The proportion of patients in escalation care varied regionally, with the highest rates observed in Northern Ireland and lower rates in parts of south-west England.
📌 Why this matters:
This study demonstrates that escalation area care, including corridor care, is not an occasional exception but a routine part of emergency practice across much of the UK, despite national guidance stating it should be avoided.
Providing safe, high-quality care in spaces not designed for clinical observation or treatment presents significant challenges for patient dignity, monitoring and staff workflow. The findings underscore the urgent need for system-level solutions focused on improving patient flow, reducing inpatient boarding times and expanding capacity.
👉 Read the full article for detailed methodology, outcomes and suggestions for future research — and join the conversation on how we can translate this evidence into better emergency care practice.
#EmergencyMedicine #EMJ #HealthcareResearch #PatientSafety #QualityImprovement #NHS
@RCollEM @richardbody @drsarahedwards
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