IMMEDIATE Government action to end ‘corridor care’ in NHS hospitals has been demanded by local MP Rachel Gilmour.

Mrs Gilmour spoke out after official figures showed the practice happened 69,000 times across the country’s accident and emergency departments during last month alone.

NHS data also showed an average of 669 inpatients receiving treatment in hospital corridors every day after admission.

However, Mrs Gilmour said the real figure was likely to be higher still, because major trusts, including Birmingham, did not submit data despite widespread reports of ‘corridor care’ in its hospitals.

Mrs Gilmour’s Tiverton and Minehead constituency covers West Somerset and parts of the Culm Valley and Blackdown Hills and a number of parishes which border Wellington.

She said: “For my constituents, getting to NHS services means long journeys with little public transport to rely on.

“The last thing they should expect when they finally arrive is, a corridor.

“Corridors are not wards.

“It is Ministerial negligence that has put patients in hallways, and it is the direct result of a Government that has failed to do anything about social care.

“We have put forward amendments to the Health Bill to eliminate corridor care, and we will be pushing votes in Parliament to force action on our £1.5 billion plan, while this Labour Government is too busy fighting itself to fight for patients.”

Ms Gilmour said a Liberal Democrat £1.5-billion plan to tackle the crisis would make about 6,000 more beds available each day through expanded hospital capacity, additional step-down care, and new social care safety net beds.

The party has tabled amendments to the Government’s Health Bill to eliminate ‘corridor care’ and require Ministers to give evidence before a proposed ‘Corridor Care Tribunal’ comprising bereaved families, affected patients, and frontline NHS staff.