Dr Toli Onon, CQC's chief inspector of hospitals, said corridor care had become a ‘regrettable reality' in some cases in order to relive pressure on ambulance services.
The CQC's latest annual survey of hospital inpatients shows almost one in five elective and emergency patients (17.5%) waited 12 hours or more to be admitted to a hospital bed in 2024.
A quarter (25.5%) had to wait six hours or more for a bed on a ward, with 9.8% waiting for over 24 hours.
Two in five respondents in hospital for elective care said they would have liked to have been admitted either ‘a lot sooner' (19.9%) or a ‘bit sooner' (22.2%). Around four in 10 (43%) said their health deteriorated while waiting to be admitted, with 25.5% saying it got ‘a bit worse' and 17.7% who said their health got ‘much worse'.
The proportion of people who felt that they waited ‘a bit too long' (15.4%) or ‘far too long' (17.8%) to get a bed after arriving at hospital has changed little since 2023 (15.1% and 17.8%, respectively). However, results for this question over time show a downward trend since 2020 when 12.2% said they waited ‘a bit too long' and only 7.9% ‘far too long'.
Overall patient satisfaction improved slightly in the past year with a greater number of respondents rating their overall experience as nine or 10 or 10 out of 10. However, the results still indicate that many aspects of inpatient care are worse than pre pandemic.
Dr Toli Onon, CQC's chief inspector of hospitals, described reports of lengthy waits as ‘worrying', adding the proportion of people whose health deteriorated while waiting for elective care was ‘a real concern'.
‘As pressures continue to mount heading into winter, ensuring safety, effectiveness of care and the best possible experience throughout the entirety of the patient journey must be a priority for all parts of the health and care system,' he said.
Reaction
Daniel Elkeles, chief executive, NHS Providers, said: ‘While it's good to see more people reporting a better overall hospital experience than last year, NHS trusts know they have much to do to restore people's faith in the NHS.
‘Nobody in the NHS wants patients to have long waits or ambulances forced to queue up outside hospitals. Patients have paid the price for longstanding pressures not just on stretched health services but on social care too. NHS trusts are committed to providing high-quality care, tackling waiting lists and ensuring people get the care they need as quickly as possible in hospital, mental health, community and ambulance services.'
Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson Helen Morgan said: ‘I fear the CQC is worryingly late to the party. Corridor care has already become normalised with A&Es in the midst of a permacrisis this summer. Countless people are being treated on trolleys instead of in waiting rooms - seven days a week, 365 days a year. It is not sustainable and it is not safe, with long delays risking deadly consequences.'
A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘After over a decade of neglect, we are starting to get the NHS back on its feet with much needed reform and £26 bn investment.
‘Patient satisfaction has improved over the past year, patients feel they have more of a say in their treatment decisions, and they have greater confidence in our hardworking NHS staff.
‘But there is far, far more to do, and this Government is determined to not just fix our NHS but make it fit for the future. We're working hard to cut waiting lists – with 4.9m extra appointments already delivered – mend the front door to the NHS to improve GP access and deliver a seismic shift in care from hospital to community through our 10-Year Health Plan.'
