Health Secretary Yvette Cooper asked NHS England to prepare urgent standards for children in emergency departments and a plan to prioritise ending their treatment in hospital corridors, ITV reported on October 18. Speaking to the BBC, she said children’s health should have greater priority within the health service.
The government began collecting corridor care figures this summer and will now gather data specifically on children, Cooper said. According to NHS figures reported by ITV, an average of 3,310 patients a day received corridor care in England in September, compared with 2,865 in August. The September total included 2,549 in emergency departments and 761 elsewhere in hospitals.
The announcement accompanies almost £140 million for 14 urgent care projects across England, confirmed by the Department of Health and Social Care on October 18. The package covers urgent treatment centres, same-day emergency care services, ambulance fleets and emergency department upgrades. It is intended to increase capacity as seasonal demand rises.
Separately, the department said 25 new or expanded urgent care sites announced in April would open in time for winter. It placed the measures within almost £2 billion of urgent care capital investment through 2030, alongside £1.5 billion already confirmed for urgent maintenance across NHS buildings.
Officials said record summer activity and extreme heat had added pressure before the winter season, when flu and norovirus increase workloads. The department said NHS winter preparations began in July. NHS performance and delivery director Emma Rowland said expanded urgent and same-day services should help patients receive care in appropriate settings while easing pressure on emergency departments.
Cooper said the wider commitment remains to end corridor care during this parliament, while acting urgently for children, according to ITV. The next steps include drawing up the new paediatric standards and collecting age-specific data. Her announcement set out a request for a plan, rather than evidence that corridor treatment for children has already ended.
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