SoR members in Wales urged to sign petition to end corridor care

SoR members based in Wales are being urged to support a petition from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Wales and the British Medical Association (BMA) Cymru Wales to end corridor care.

Corridor care is the practice of treating patients in areas not designated for treatment, such as hospital corridors or waiting rooms. This is usually the result of a lack of resources or high demand for treatment.

An email has been sent to all SoR members based in Wales encouraging them to sign the petition, which the RCN and the BMA have submitted to the Welsh government. The email explains how corridor care affects radiology patients specifically and calls for an end to the practice to ensure dignity and comfort for patients.

Caroline Hurley, the SoR’s national officer for Wales, said radiographers should support the cause to ensure a safe working environment for their colleagues as well as more dignified treatment for patients.

“As radiographers we have witnessed patients waiting for long periods of time in chairs, trolleys doubled up in bays and patients being nursed in corridors at your workplaces,” she said. “This has been an ongoing practice at many hospitals which provides an undignified and inappropriate environment for our patients and puts them at a risk of significant harm.

“As radiographers, corridor care makes our work so much more challenging with patients attending radiology on ambulance trolleys or having to wait in chairs in pain as there are no beds/trolleys available for them to be comfortable whilst awaiting diagnosis or treatment. This is a time for us to stand together in solidarity with our colleagues from the RCN and BMA to fight to deliver an appropriate and safe care environment which provides dignity for patients attending our hospitals in Wales.”

At time of writing, the petition has 1,671 signatures. If a petition submitted to the Welsh government has over 250 signatures, it will be discussed by the Petitions Committee after signatures have been collected. The deadline for collecting signatures for this petition is 29 October 2025.

Patients being nursed in corridors

If a petition receives over 10,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in the Senedd, also known as the Welsh Parliament.

According to the petition, the RCN and BMA want the Welsh government to begin monitoring and reporting on corridor care, beginning with classifying receiving treatment in chairs for over 24 hours a ‘never event’. The bodies are also asking the government to prioritise early intervention, devote attention to community-based care and to stop cutbacks on NHS Wales hospital beds.

You can view the petition here.