Almost 3,000 patients a day in England are receiving care in hospital corridors due to an unavailability of beds in A&E units across the country, according to official figures.

Corridor care occurs when a patient receives treatment in a setting that is clinically inappropriate and is deemed to be undignified and unsafe.

The figures, published for the first time by NHS England, revealed an average of 2,241 instances each day in May of a patient receiving corridor care in a clinically inappropriate setting for more than 45 minutes within an A&E unit.

A further 699 patients a day received care in other inappropriate settings more generally, including in cupboards, car parks or toilets. The data also revealed regional disparities, with only 20 NHS Trusts accounting for more than half of the cases of corridor care seen in A&E departments.

The criteria determining whether a care setting was clinically inappropriate include whether patients have privacy, access to basic amenities such as food and water, and whether noise is low enough that they are able to sleep and lighting can be dimmed.

Dr Ian Higginson, the president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said corridor care being used in the NHS was a “national scandal”, and that the figures being published indicated its rampant use was finally being taken seriously.

“Corridor care is utterly unacceptable. It’s an undignified and dangerous way to deal with patients,” Higginson said. “Attempts to better understand, and ultimately end, this awful and dangerous practice are welcome. We hope that the publication of this data will mean trusts and policymakers will begin to take stern action on curbing it.”

However, Higginson also expressed concerns regarding the accuracy of the data in regards to how the health service defined ‘corridor care’. He added: “We remain doubtful about the current accuracy and scope of this data – as well as the potential for trusts gaming the system.

“Corridor care is a national scandal, and a problem that policymakers have acknowledged has become normalised. Yet, in some areas, the data seems low. Many of our members will likely feel that the data has not captured their day-to-day reality.

“We remain sceptical whether NHS England’s definition of corridor care, which underpins today’s data, is up to the job of capturing the true scale of the problem. We are concerned it is open to gaming and variable interpretation.”

The data also showed the overall hospital waiting list had risen for the first time in half a year to 7.22m in May, up from 7.11 million in March. Additionally, 99,781 people in England had been waiting for over a year to start routine treatment by the beginning of May, an increase compared with the 94,406 seen at the end of March.

James Murray, the health secretary, said: “Corridor care is unacceptable, undignified and has no place in our NHS. That is why, for the first time, we are publishing this data to shine a spotlight on where the problems are greatest and ensure trusts get the support they need, with the vast majority of corridor care concentrated in a small number of organisations.”

He added: “Ending corridor care for good will take time and different areas will need different solutions, but we are determined to eradicate this practice.”

Prof Francesca Swords, the national medical director for the NHS, added that corridor care was “totally unacceptable” and had no place within the NHS.