Atendimento de urgência e emergência no NHS: do atendimento em corredores à capacidade máxima em ritmo acelerado.

Recent data illustrates the scale of the challenge. In March 2026 alone, there were more than 2.4 million A&E attendances in England, alongside over 550,000 emergency admissions. At the same time, more than 120,000 patients experienced delays of over four hours from the point a decision was made to admit them, including tens of thousands waiting over 12 hours.

In Scotland, the picture is similarly pressured. February 2026 saw over 122,000 A&E attendances, with only 66.4% of patients seen, treated, or discharged within four hours.

These are not isolated figures. They are indicators of a system-wide challenge that extends far beyond the emergency department itself.

A whole-system flow problem

Urgent and emergency care performance is often framed as an A&E issue. In reality, it is a patient flow issue across the entire pathway.

Pressure begins before patients arrive, with ambulance response times and handover delays reflecting the availability of capacity within hospitals. It continues through triage, assessment, and treatment, and is often most acutely felt at the point of admission, where bed availability becomes the critical constraint.

Delayed discharge is a significant contributing factor. In Scotland, nearly 2,000 hospital beds were occupied each day in February 2026 by patients who were medically fit to leave but unable to do so, with a median delay of 29 days.

When flow slows at any point, the impact is felt everywhere. Ambulances queue, emergency departments become crowded, and patients wait longer for care.

The reality of corridor care

One of the most visible and concerning symptoms of this pressure is the rise of so-called corridor care.

A recent government response has seen NHS experts deployed to tackle this issue directly, recognising both its prevalence and its risks. The Health Services Safety Investigations Body has been clear in its findings: temporary care environments, including corridors and non-clinical spaces, present significant patient safety concerns. These include challenges in monitoring patients, limited access to equipment such as oxygen, increased infection risk, and reduced privacy and dignity.

Corridor care is not a solution. It is a symptom of insufficient capacity and constrained flow.

Addressing it requires more than operational adjustments. It requires the creation of appropriate, clinically compliant environments that can absorb demand safely.

Policy direction and funding: a shift towards capacity

National policy is increasingly aligned with this reality.

The NHS Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 sets out a clear ambition to reduce long waits, improve ambulance handover times, and eliminate corridor care. Crucially, it is backed by significant capital investment, including more than £370 million to expand capacity through new Same Day Emergency Care units, urgent treatment centres, and other infrastructure.

This is a notable shift. It reflects a growing recognition that operational performance cannot improve without physical capacity to support it.

The deployment of NHS experts to tackle corridor care further reinforces this direction. The focus is not only on process improvement, but on ensuring that patients are treated in safe, appropriate environments.

Creating capacity where it matters most

The critical question for healthcare leaders is not whether additional capacity is needed, but where it will have the greatest impact.

Experience across the NHS shows that targeted interventions at key pressure points can transform flow:

Ambulance handover facilities can reduce delays at the front door, enabling faster turnaround for crews and improving system responsiveness.

Streaming and triage environments, such as Minor Injuries Units and Same Day Emergency Care facilities, can ensure patients are directed to the most appropriate pathway from the outset.

Additional ward space and discharge lounges can relieve pressure at the back door, freeing up beds and supporting timely admission from emergency departments.

These are not theoretical solutions. At Peterborough City Hospital, an ambulance handover facility supported the treatment of more than 15,000 patients while reducing delays and improving flow. At the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, a co-located Minor Injuries Unit now treats up to 100 patients per day, easing pressure on A&E and improving patient prioritisation.

What these examples demonstrate is that capacity, when deployed in the right place, has a disproportionate impact on performance.

Delivering capacity at pace

Time is a critical factor. Traditional capital projects can take years to deliver, while operational pressures are immediate.

This is where flexible infrastructure plays a vital role.

Mobile and modular healthcare facilities can be deployed rapidly, often within weeks, providing fully compliant clinical environments that integrate with existing hospital estates. They allow Health Boards and Trusts to respond to seasonal surges, support longer-term transformation programmes, and maintain safe patient pathways during periods of peak demand.

Importantly, they also align with current funding models, offering flexibility across both revenue and capital budgets.

From pressure to progress

The challenges facing urgent and emergency care are significant, but they are not insurmountable.

There is now a clear alignment between policy, funding, and operational priorities. The focus is shifting towards creating the capacity needed to support safe, timely care across the entire patient pathway.

For healthcare leaders, the opportunity lies in translating this direction into practical action. That means identifying where capacity constraints are most acute and deploying solutions that can make an immediate and sustained difference.

If you are reviewing your urgent and emergency care capacity, or planning how to address current pressures, we invite you to explore how flexible infrastructure can support your organisation.

You can download our Urgent and Emergency Care brochure here: