One in 10 patients who attended major A&E units in England last year spent more than 12 hours there, a BBC analysis shows.
During 2025, 1.75 million patients waited that long to be treated and discharged or found a bed on a ward - only marginally better than in 2024.
It comes as the Royal College of Nursing warned long waits and corridor care – where patients are left for hours in make-shift areas – was having a devastating impact.
The union published testimonies from members across the UK describing unsafe and undignified care, with one nurse saying animals were treated better at vets.
The government said it was unacceptable, but it was still dealing with the legacy it inherited.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting acknowledged corridor care remained a problem, saying the NHS was "falling short".
"It should never be normalised," he added.
He said he was committed to ending the practice before the end of the parliament and would soon start publishing data on it to ensure transparency.
But he said on some measures, such as ambulance response times, there had been improvement compared to last year.
Source: BBC News, 15 January 2025
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment