New figures published for the first time have shown the scale of so-called corridor care in hospitals in England, with thousands of patients a day being treated in makeshift settings rather than in a proper bed.
Corridor care refers to patients who are placed into makeshift treatment areas. In and around accident and emergency departments, that can mean being treated in a corridor, in side rooms, or even in car parks. Elsewhere in a hospital, patients may be outside a ward, or at least not in a bed.
Ministers have described the practice as unacceptable and potentially unsafe, as well as a breach of privacy and dignity for patients. It is a situation that has drawn growing concern in recent times.
Under the new arrangements, all hospitals in England have had to report how many patients receive corridor care. For the purpose of the figures, they count patients who spend more than 45 minutes in those inappropriate settings.
The data shows that, on average, nearly 3,000 patients a day experienced corridor care last month, during May. That figure includes just over 2,200 in and around A&E, and nearly 700 further inside the hospital on wards but not in a bed.
It is the first time that this kind of data has been published, giving a clearer picture of how widespread the practice has become across the health service. Until now, the full extent had not been set out in this way.
The government had signalled this step last year. When it published its plan for emergency care, it said it wanted to be transparent about what was happening, given the reports and concern about the issue. Ministers believe that by being open with the figures, it will help the NHS to tackle the problem.