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The human reality of those numbers is that patients are left to deteriorate for hours in corridors, potentially without food or water, and staff are pushed to breaking point. One nurse described the conditions as akin to “torture”, with a 2025 survey from the Royal College of Physicians finding that 78% of physicians had provided care in a temporary space. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine’s recent “Safe to Care” campaign reveals the huge strain that this type of care puts on staff, with 96% of emergency department staff surveyed reporting that they had experienced violence or aggression as a result. That is totally unacceptable.