The job ad seen by The Times said corridor care had become normal in the emergency department at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, adding the role offered an ‘opportunity to make a real difference to the care of older people with frailty in the emergency department'.

Professor Katie Urch, chief medical officer, University Hospitals Sussex, said: ‘The delays that patients are experiencing in our hospitals, including corridor care, are linked to challenges across our entire health and care system – the challenges cannot be solved by us alone, and need collective solutions. To support this, the jointly funded role with our local medical school is focused on the care of frail elderly patients to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions and to ensure the most appropriate inpatient assessment and care.

‘We all understand that corridor care is not acceptable, and that we must continue our progress towards eliminating it. This role builds on the significant steps we have already taken with our partners to ensure patients receive more timely admission or treatment – although the winter has been extremely difficult, there are clear signs of improvement compared to last year.'

The trust said the number of people it was caring for in corridors was lower than last year and was falling, and its goal was ‘eliminate it completely'.

A spokesperson added the role was designed to improve quality of care and was jointly funded by the local deanery and UHSussex.

They added the position was not a ‘full-time corridor doctor' role and would continue to exist if nobody was being cared for in a corridor.