A record 518,000 people waited 12 hours or longer in A&E after medics decided to admit them – nearly 400 times more than in 2015, shocking research by the Lib Dems shows
A record 518,000 people waited 12 hours or longer in A&E after medics decided to admit them – nearly 400 times more than in 2015, shocking research shows.
The analysis, by the Liberal Democrats, also revealed a sharp rise of more than 100,000 12-hour trolley waits on 2023’s figure of 415,000 – a jump of 25%. It comes as grim reports emerged on Sunday that a hospital has advertised for nurses to take on 12-hour “corridor care” shifts amid “very significant pressure” in its A&E department.
Whittington Hospital in Archway, north London, posted bank shifts available for nurses which said “corridor care” in the notes, The Sunday Times reported. Some hospitals have restricted visitor numbers while others are encouraging people to wear surgical masks to limit the spread of viruses.
Dr Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said corridor care is “degrading, dehumanising and dangerous”. “Let me be clear, it is not possible to provide truly safe patient care in environments such as corridors and cupboards,” he said.
Lib Dem Health and Social Care spokeswoman Helen Morgan branded the findings “shocking” and said corridor care was being “normalised”. “It is a scandal that corridor care is becoming normalised with thousands of patients left on trolleys for hours or even days on end,” she said. “We are seeing shocking and dangerous long waits in hospital corridors, putting patient lives at risk and leaving staff struggling to cope.”
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Whittington Health NHS Trust said it is experiencing “very significant pressure” in its urgent and emergency care, adding: “In these circumstances we may have to provide care in corridors, as an absolute last resort. In common with other hospitals, where this is necessary we bring in additional staff on a temporary basis to ensure that care can be delivered as safely and compassionately as possible to patients.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokeswoman said: “It is shocking that corridor care has become a normal feature in our hospitals. Despite the best efforts of staff, patients are receiving unacceptable standards of treatment.
“In our first six months, we’ve ended the strikes so staff are on the frontline not the picket line, introduced the new RSV vaccine, and we have vaccinated more people against flu than last winter. It will take time to fix our broken NHS, but it can be done.”
