A survey of its members by the Royal College of Nursing union found that two-thirds had daily delivered care in what they considered an “inappropriate setting”.

A chronic shortage of National Health Service (NHS) hospital beds in the UK sees patients increasingly receiving treatment in corridors, and other unsuitable spaces, including cupboards and toilets.

As well as corridors, patients are being treated in storage rooms and even car parks. Lacking critical facilities such as oxygen, suction or monitoring equipment, staff describe a system that has normalised indignity and unsafe care.

The shortage of beds is coupled with chronic understaffing, leaving nurses overwhelmed and often looking after more than 10 patients in unsafe conditions. Many are considering leaving the profession, reporting feelings of shame and helplessness in face of such grim conditions.