Thousands of Patients Waited Over Three Days in A&E Departments Across England
More than 13,000 patients endured waits exceeding three days in England's emergency departments last year, according to a stark new analysis published in the British Medical Journal. The data reveals a deepening crisis in urgent care, with nearly half a million patients spending over 24 hours in A&E before admission, transfer, or discharge.
Surge in Prolonged Delays Despite Some Improvements
The BMJ analysis found that 493,751 patients waited more than a day in A&E in 2025, a figure that has surged by approximately one-third since 2023. While the number of 72-hour waits has decreased from a peak of 19,579 in 2023 to 13,386 last year, medical experts warn that the overall problem of extreme A&E delays is intensifying.
"I've heard of patients who say they'd rather die at home than come into hospital and be waiting," said Mumtaz Patel, President of the Royal College of Physicians, highlighting the desperate situation facing many.
A Systemic Issue Affecting All NHS Trusts
James Gagg, Vice-President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, emphasized that 24-hour waits are now a widespread phenomenon. "This isn't a problem related to a few trusts, this is something that's experienced by all trusts, all of the year," he stated. He noted that such extensive delays were virtually unheard of before 2020 but have become commonplace in recent years.
Gagg directly linked these delays to patient harm, stating: "This is where harm is occurring; this is where we know patients have worse mortality due to the delays that occur in care." Research consistently shows that prolonged stays in emergency departments increase risks of deterioration and death.
Record Attendances and Government Response
The crisis unfolds against a backdrop of record emergency department attendance. In March alone, there were 2.43 million A&E visits, driven partly by a meningitis outbreak in Kent, surpassing the previous record set in May 2024. An NHS spokesman acknowledged the challenges, pointing to reforms in urgent care and support for struggling trusts, while noting that waits over four hours are at a five-year low.
However, weekly figures show persistent problems. In March, 46,665 patients waited over 12 hours from decision to admit to actual admission, down from 54,649 in February but still alarmingly high compared to the record 71,517 in January.
Doctors Express Shame and Demand Urgent Action
Medical professionals have voiced profound concern and embarrassment over the situation. Dr. Den Langhor, lead of the British Medical Association's consultants committee for emergency medicine, said: "This data exposes the depth of the corridor care crisis in our emergency departments."
He described scenarios where doctors leave for the night and return the next morning to find the same patients still waiting, sometimes for a third day. "This is undignified and unsafe. There is no excuse for hospital patients in a developed country being treated this way, and doctors are ashamed that it has come to this," Langhor added.
While welcoming recent government commitments to tackle corridor care, Langhor called them "a small step forward" that means little for current patients. He insisted that "much more urgent and substantial change is needed to resolve the problem properly and quickly."
The analysis underscores a critical need for systemic reform to address mounting pressures on emergency services and ensure timely, safe care for all patients across England.
