Record 420,000 patients in England had ‘more than 12 hour wait’ in A&E last year

A record 420,000 patients had to wait more than 12 hours in A&E last year, analysis has shown.

The latest NHS England figures revealed a 20% increase on 2022 in people facing lengthy delays after a decision to admit them to hospital from the emergency department.

In 2023, 419,560 people – or one in 15 A&E patients – faced “trolley waits” of 12 hours or more, according to the Liberal Democrats, who compiled the analysis. It marks by far the highest number since records began in 2011, and amounts to an average of 1,150 patients a day.

Ed Davey, the party leader, criticised the “appalling delays” and accused Rishi Sunak’s government of “ignoring the suffering of patients and driving our health service into the ground”.

Significant waits in A&E have been linked to excess deaths and increased harm to patients, as their condition could deteriorate before they are admitted or given a bed on a ward.

Davey said: “Every year A&E delays are getting worse and worse under this Conservative government as hospitals are starved of the resources and staff they need. These appalling delays are leaving often vulnerable and elderly patients waiting for hours on end in overcrowded A&Es."

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Source: The Guardian, 14 January 2024