Nearly 100,000 elderly patients have to wait twelve hours for emergency department trolleys, with one having to wait five days for admission
- At least 16 NHS trusts said patients had to wait two days or more
- An FOI request shows that the number of 12-hour wait times for over-65s has doubled by a factor of 25 since 2019
Last year, almost 100,000 elderly patients waited more than 12 hours on emergency department trolleys – including one who waited five days to be admitted.
At least 16 NHS trusts said patients faced waiting times of two days or more, with the over-65s bearing the brunt of the delays.
A Freedom of Information request revealed that the number of 12-hour queues for over-65s has increased 25-fold since 2019, with almost all trusts reporting the situation had worsened.
Responses were sent from 48 of the 140 hospital trusts, meaning the actual figures are likely much higher.
Nearly 100,000 elderly patients waited more than 12 hours for emergency department trolleys last year – including one who waited five days to be admitted (File Image)
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said it showed the scale of the ‘corridor care crisis’ and called for an increase in the number of beds
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said it showed the scale of the ‘corridor care crisis’ and called for an increase in the number of beds.
He added: ‘It is heartbreaking to think that so many elderly people have to wait so long in hospital corridors, many in pain, because there are not enough beds available. We know that long waiting times in emergency departments are not only annoying for patients, but can also have serious consequences for their health.’
The figures show that older patients had to wait an average of seven hours in 2023, compared to six hours for all patients. Seven in ten of the trusts that responded had longer average waiting times for pensioners than the average for all patients.
This month, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine estimated that there were more than 268 excess deaths per week last year due to waiting times of 12 hours or more in emergency departments.
Sir Julian Hartley, CEO of NHS Providers, said: ‘With record pressures across the health and care system, and demand for beds outstripping supply, there will be times when staff are forced to provide care outside of wards. ‘
Health leaders said an additional 5,000 permanent hospital beds had been created, along with more than 10,000 ‘hospital-at-home’ beds, freeing up capacity in wards.