Harley presses SNP to provide timeline for recording corridor care

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Adam Harley MSP has today called on the SNP government to provide a clear timeline for when they will record and publish incidents of corridor care.  

His call came in response to a ministerial statement on winter preparedness in the NHS.

August 2026 saw more people than ever before waiting over 4 hours at A&E in single month.

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine has described conditions in Scotland’s A&Es as “terrifying”.

Last month, the Scottish Parliament backed an amendment tabled by Adam Harley which called on the government to publish incidents of corridor care.

Speaking in the Scottish Parliament, he said:

“Last month, the Parliament, including the Cabinet Secretary, voted for my amendment which called for instances of corridor care to be measured, monitored and reported.

“Patients should never be treated in corridors. They should be treated in wards. We cannot allow this to become a new normal in our NHS.

“Ahead of what we know will be another incredibly difficult winter, one which doctors have described as ‘terrifying’, can the Cabinet Secretary, now having committed to recording and publishing that data, can they commit to a timeline so that this is done as a matter of urgency?”  

Speaking after the exchange, Adam said:

“I am glad that the Health Secretary repeated support for my amendment, but the government must now come good on this commitment.

“The situation in our A&E departments is truly terrible. It is unacceptable that patients are stuck in waiting rooms and corridors for hours on end, worried if they’ll ever get treated.

“We need to know exactly how many patients this is impacting because that’s the first step in making sure everyone gets the care they need."