- One in fifteen ER patients had a ‘trolley waiting time’ of twelve hours or longer last year
Analyzes show that the number of patients waiting more than twelve hours in the emergency room has increased by 5,000 percent in four years.
A record 420,000 people faced long wait times when admitted to hospital from emergency departments last year, the highest annual number since 2011.
One in fifteen ER patients had a ‘trolley waiting time’ of twelve hours or longer, an increase of 20 percent compared to 2022.
Patricia Marquis, from the Royal College of Nursing, said: ‘Behind the figures are people suffering for hours without privacy and at risk of their health drastically deteriorating.
“Patients won’t get the care they deserve until the government commits to safe nurse staffing levels, but we will never attract and retain enough nurses in the profession until the government pays them fairly.”
The number of patients waiting more than 12 hours in emergency rooms has increased by 5,000 percent in four years, analysis shows (Stock Photo)
According to the Lib Dem analysis, almost half of patients in some trusts, such as North Middlesex University Hospital Trust, waited more than half a day.
In 2019, 8,272 people waited 12 hours or more before being admitted to the hospital in the emergency room. This rose to 419,560 in 2023.
Significant emergency department wait times have been associated with excess deaths and increased harm to patients.
LibDem leader Sir Ed Davey accused the government of ignoring the suffering of patients. “These devastating delays often leave vulnerable and elderly patients waiting for hours in overcrowded emergency departments,” he said.
NHS data for December showed hospital bed occupancy remained at 93.5 per cent, with 151,295 patients – one in nine – facing 12-hour waits in A&E.
The Department of Health and Social Care said ministers were working hard to reduce waiting times (pictured)
Patricia Marquis, from the Royal College of Nursing, said: ‘Behind the figures are people suffering for hours without privacy and at risk of their health drastically deteriorating’
The delays are likely to have been exacerbated by waves of industrial action by nurses and consultants, as well as strikes by trainee doctors during the health service’s busiest time of year.
Waiting times were described by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine as ’embarrassing, distressing and deeply saddening’.
The Department of Health and Social Care said ministers are working hard to reduce waiting times, with more than 8,500 patients being treated in virtual wards at home rather than in hospital in the run-up to Christmas.
A spokesperson said: ‘Our emergency and urgent care recovery plan is reducing both A&E waiting times and ambulance response times compared to last year – but we know there is still more to do.
‘We are on track to deliver a further 5,000 permanently staffed hospital beds this winter and have achieved our target of delivering 10,000 virtual ward beds, so patients can recover from the comfort of a familiar environment.
‘We recently provided £800 million to support NHS capacity and help patients get the care they need as quickly as possible.’
NHS England was contacted for comment.