The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has warned that the NHS must be made fit for hotter summers, after new figures revealed the continued scale of corridor care across England during a month of extreme pressure on urgent and emergency care.
- The impact of extreme heat falls disproportionately on older people, with those aged 85 and over facing the greatest risk of hospital admission.
- Extreme heat doesn't just increase deaths – it increases pressure on hospitals, with higher admission rates for respiratory, kidney, infectious and metabolic conditions.
- Corridor care remains widespread across the NHS, with 749 daily instances recorded in June 2026, while 2,432 patients a day received care in spaces not designed for treatment.
- The RCP is calling for a national plan to make the NHS resilient to extreme weather.
New NHS data published last week revealed the continuing strain on urgent and emergency care services. During June 2026, an average of 2,432 patients a day received care in spaces not designed for treatment, while emergency departments recorded 2.4 million attendances – the second highest monthly total on record. Average daily instances of corridor care reached 749, a 14% increase on May.
The figures come after a period of exceptionally hot weather across the UK. Extreme heat is known to increase demand for health services through heat-related illness, dehydration and the worsening of existing health conditions. New research has also highlighted the impact of extreme heat on hospital capacity, finding an increased risk of admission for several common conditions, including acute renal failure, metabolic disorders, COPD and pneumonia. Older people are particularly vulnerable, with those aged 85 and over facing the greatest risk of heat-related hospital admission across multiple conditions.
The RCP is calling for a national plan to make the NHS resilient to extreme weather, including investment in hospital buildings, ventilation and cooling, better planning for surges in demand, and urgent action to improve patient flow. Ending corridor care depends on expanding capacity, supporting staff, reducing delayed discharges and ensuring patients can be treated in safe, dignified environments.
Professor Mumtaz Patel, RCP president, said:
‘These new figures expose the severe pressure facing patients and staff across the NHS, as overcrowded services contend with the added challenge of extreme hot weather.
‘No patient should receive care in a corridor or any other space not designed for treatment. It is unsafe, undignified and unacceptable. Corridor care has a deeply negative impact on patients, who are denied privacy, dignity and safe care environments, and on NHS staff, who are left trying to deliver care in conditions that make that harder.
Extreme heat is no longer a rare event. It is a growing public health challenge that places additional pressure on health services and staff already stretched beyond capacity, ultimately affecting the quality and safety of patient care.
‘The NHS is not fit for a hotter future. Government and NHS leaders must act urgently to increase capacity, tackle the causes of corridor care and make sure the health service is prepared for the growing health impacts of climate change.’