Trusts reveal thousands of new 12-hour waits

Several trusts have now started reporting thousands of 12-hour waits in their emergency departments, representing a huge difference to the numbers published nationally under a slightly different measure.

This year, trusts have started submitting data to NHS England on the number of patients waiting over 12 hours from time of arrival in ED, until discharge, admission or transfer. Many trusts are now reporting these statistics in their public board reports.

This is a slightly different measure to the publicly reported “trolley wait” figures, which count waits of over 12 hours from decision to admit until admission.

Experts have long argued the trolley wait measure does not capture the true problem of ED overcrowding and delayed care. The new data captures a far higher number of patients and has not been published nationally by NHSE.

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Source: HSJ, 2 August 2022