The CQC found the hospital was operating under ‘significant operational pressure' in May with those with mental health needs waiting several days for beds.

Antoinette Smith, CQC deputy director of hospitals in London, said: ‘At the time of our inspection, the hospital was operating at the highest level of NHS escalation, meaning demand was exceeding the service's capacity and required urgent system-wide action.'

Inspectors found:

• the trust wasn't always ensuring people were triaged within the standard guidance of 15 minutes. Average triage times were 25 minutes and sometimes exceeded 40 minutes
• the trust needed to address staffing shortages as they affected the service's ability to meet demand. The overall vacancy rate was 22.1%, and medical staffing gaps contributed to delays in assessment and flow.
• staff used corridor care during periods of high demand, which affected people's privacy, dignity and safety.
• the service didn't meet the national four-hour emergency care standard during the previous 12 months, with performance ranging from 66.7% to 73.7%.

Medical director at Newham Hospital, Liat Sarner said: ‘We acknowledge the CQC's findings and the impact that sustained pressure on our services has had on patients. Patient safety is our absolute priority, and we have already begun making significant improvements, including a new dedicated waiting room nurse and enhanced oversight and checks from senior leadership.'

Barts said it had standardised how documentation is assessed and introduced a weekly review process. A hospital-wide improvement programme is also underway to improve flow and triage, helping patients get the care they need sooner, the trust said.

It added additional resources to support homeless patients and earlier discharge had been put in place.