Around one in three of the sickest A&E patients are being treated in corridors or cupboards – and that’s on a “quieter” day according to some top Emergency Medicine doctors.

New survey data gathered from clinical leads at all 12 emergency departments in Wales, published by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine 25 February, found that almost half (304 out of 704) of patients in emergency departments were stuck waiting for an inpatient bed.

Of these patients waiting for a bed, who are typically the sickest or most injured, nearly a third (32 per cent) were being treated in non-designated spaces.

These spots include, but are not limited to, corridors, cupboards, and waiting room chairs if the patient was waiting for a cubicle. They are not appropriate areas for treating sick patients.

The survey data, gathered on Monday, 16 February, provides a detailed snapshot of the situation on the front line of Wales’ emergency departments on that particular day.

Concerningly, several of the clinical leads said that the dire situation on that particular Monday when the survey was carried out, was quieter than usual. Several others said it was as bad as usual.

According to the results of the survey, there were only 277 designated treatment spaces, or cubicles, for patients.

This is not enough for the 304 people who were waiting for admission to an inpatient bed, let alone the overall 704 patients in the emergency departments.

In these conditions, corridor care is inevitable.

Such overcrowding in emergency departments is unfair, dangerous and undignified for patients. It does not promote privacy for people in our departments, some of whom are experiencing the worst day of their lives, the society says.

According to the survey, 92 per cent of clinical leads responding to the survey blamed a lack of available inpatient beds on the conditions inside their emergency departments, compared to fewer than half who blamed a large number of patients with less serious conditions arriving at the front door.

Dr Rob Perry, RCEM Vice President for Wales, said: “All across Wales, Emergency Departments are doing their best to provide care against impossible odds.

“This survey data paints an accurate picture of the state of emergency departments as overcrowded and providing sub-standard care because of a complete breakdown in hospital flow.

“As we have previously shown, there is a link between long waits in emergency departments and mortality, particularly among patients who require admission to a hospital bed.

“Right now, something is profoundly wrong with our hospital system. Patients are stuck awaiting discharge at the ‘back door’

“Yet, time and time again, the government has not been able to move the needle on what has become a perma-crisis. All year around, not just in winter, our emergency departments are overloaded with patients who need beds, and they end up being cared for on floors, plastic chairs, corridors or even cupboards.

“This hurts patients, and the stress of working in such conditions is driving Emergency Medicine staff to despair.

“In May, the people of Wales will vote for who they want to lead the country, and by extension who will run our health service.

“Whoever wins that election must commit to ending Emergency Department overcrowding. It is literally a matter of life and death.”

The survey data also found that two patients had been waiting in an emergency department for around five days.

According to the college, waits of more than two days were not uncommon.

Fewer than half of clinical leads responding to the survey (42 per cent) said that large numbers of low-acuity patients was a leading cause of overcrowding, compared to 92 per cent who blamed a lack of inpatient beds, and 83 per cent who listed difficulties discharging patients as a key reason.

Many said that this particular Monday was better than normal, indicating that the situation is typically even worse.

Last month, the RCEM described new testimony from nurses about the state of corridor care across the UK as "distressing, damning and exactly what we see every single day in our departments".

More than 430 nurses described the conditions they are working in and what patients are enduring in a survey conducted by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).

Just some examples shared include how a nurse witnessed a patient left in a chair for four days, a patient dying after choking undetected in a corridor and nurses holding up sheets to try and protect the dignity of a patient while they underwent an intimate procedure.

One nurse went as far as saying the conditions are “a type of torture”.

Their accounts were gathered between 2 January and 9 January, revealing nursing staff are treating patients in cold corridors, dining rooms, staff kitchens and offices.

Dr Ian Higginson, President of RCEM said: “This work by the Royal College of Nursing makes for incredibly tough reading.

“It’s distressing, damning and exactly what we see every single day in our departments.

“These deeply personal testimonies aren’t just stories - it’s the daily reality for patients and their nurses, who work alongside our members and their colleagues in Emergency Departments.

“Last year, when RCN released their first report on corridor care, we said that it must represent a watershed moment for the government, a line in the sand.

“Yet, 365 days on, the nurses voices show our patients are still in corridors, and there is no credible plan to get them out.

“So called ‘corridor care’ takes an immense toll on patients, who will be facing long waits in these conditions.

“And it takes an immense toll on our clinicians who are trying their upmost best to deliver quality care in these conditions.”

Last year's RCEM survey was collated via a ‘snapshot’ survey which was conducted on three different dates and times in January and February 2025 with all 12 Emergency Departments in Wales submitting results.

It found that all 12 emergency departments in Wales had people being treated in corridors or waiting areas, and on at least one of the three sample days, all had patients being cared for in the back of ambulances.

During last year's survey, a total 44 per cent of patients in departments at the time were waiting for an in-patient bed, and all 12 Welsh emergency departments had patients being treated in corridors

Of the average total of 619 patients present in emergency departments at the time, 13.5 per cent were being treated on trolleys in corridors and other inappropriate spaces, and 10.7 per cent of patients in waiting areas were deemed as needing a clinical space.