Half of nurses giving end-of-life care in corridors as NHS staffing crisis laid bare

A majority of healthcare staff have delivered end-of-life treatment to patients in hallway areas or temporary spaces, new research reveals.

Inadequate staffing capacity alongside extreme time pressures were also identified as primary obstacles to looking after dying patients.

Practitioners further described widespread flaws in care planning, causing uncertainty and occasions where CPR attempts were performed against the express wishes of patients.

The joint Marie Curie and Nursing Standard poll of 1,153 nurses and healthcare professionals across the UK found 55% had treated patients in corridors or non-clinical areas.

Over seven in 10 respondents reported that managing people in environments unsuitable for palliative care damaged patient dignity while leaving families and relatives deeply distressed.

Regarding obstacles to delivering treatment, roughly 72.2% identified staff numbers as a major constraint, whereas 56.2% reported time deficits as a problematic issue.

In addition, Marie Curie uncovered widespread flaws in advance care planning, generating uncertainty regarding what patients actually wanted during their final days.

Over one-third of nursing staff stated they had seen resuscitation carried out despite considering the procedure completely inappropriate.

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Source: The Independent, 2 September 2026