Hospital patient had to wait more than 10 days for a bed - as 'unacceptable' crisis laid bare

Around 49,000 A&E patients had to wait 24 hours or more for a hospital bed in England last year, according to NHS figures.

Data compiled by the Liberal Democrats from freedom of information requests shows the longest wait was 10 days and 13 hours.

The party said there were 48,830 "trolley waits" of 24 hours or longer in 2024. That is 19.8% higher than 2023 (40,735) and 57.9% higher than 2022 (30,921).

A "trolley wait" is the time taken for a patient to be transferred to a ward after a decision has been taken to admit them to hospital.

The Lib Dems said the real numbers were likely to be far higher because only 54 out of 141 NHS trusts had provided full data.

The Royal College of Nursing said the figures "only begin to scratch the surface" of a "crisis in corridor care" - and that declining recruitment in nursing was adding to the problem.

General secretary Professor Nicola Ranger said corridor care is "undignified and unsafe" and "must be eradicated".

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Source: Sky News, 21 April 2025

Further reading on the hub:

• How corridor care in the NHS is affecting safety culture: A blog by Claire Cox
• The crisis of corridor care in the NHS: patient safety concerns and incident reporting
• Response to RCN report: On the frontline of the UK’s corridor care crisis