Patient care in temporary care environments

We have launched an investigation that explores the patient safety issues associated with the use of temporary care environments.

Temporary care environments are defined by the Royal College of Physicians as ‘spaces that are not designed, staffed or equipped for care delivery such as waiting rooms, corridors, chairs on wards, ambulances outside emergency departments (EDs), and other areas of the hospital not designed for in-patient care’. They are used because of the challenges of increased demand and limited capacity.

We identified the need for this investigation after engagement with stakeholders, including representatives from national bodies and NHS hospital trusts, to seek their insights in relation to patient safety issues associated with temporary care environments. There was widespread concern about the use of temporary care environments and that their use should not be normalised.

We triangulated this evidence with additional sources including reports to prevent future deaths issued by HM Coroners, national safety reporting systems, national policy documents and academic literature.

The investigation will seek to understand:

1. How, where and when temporary care environments are used.
2. The needs of patients using temporary care environments, including those from vulnerable patient groups, and the associated patient safety issues.
3. The impact of temporary care environments on patients and staff and how organisations manage the associated patient safety issues.

We expect to publish our investigation report in December 2025.

We are keen to hear from anybody with an interest in this subject matter. This includes patients, families, carers and health and care professionals who may wish to share their experience. If you would like to speak to us about this investigation before we publish the final report, please email enquiries@hssib.org.uk.