A record number of patients have faced 'degrading' 12-hour waits on trolleys in Accident and Emergency departments this year, with a senior doctor warning the system is at 'breaking point' as winter approaches.
Unprecedented Scale of Delays
An investigation has revealed that more than 452,000 people waited 12 hours or more for a hospital bed between January and October this year. This staggering figure represents an all-time high, soaring from a mere 1,590 in the same period in 2016 and is 34,000 higher than last year.
Dr Ian Higginson, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, issued a stark warning, stating that patients are being 'cruelly let down' in their 'most vulnerable moment'. He fears the situation will worsen with the expected winter surge, leading to more long waits and preventable deaths.
A System Under Immense Strain
The crisis is compounded by an early flu season and the threat of new variants, which health leaders predict will cause a further influx of patients. Analysis of NHS England figures by the Liberal Democrats shows the problem is widespread.
Shockingly, twenty-three NHS trusts have seen increases in 12-hour waits exceeding 100,000% since 2016, with five trusts witnessing rises over 500,000%. Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals reported an increase in excess of 1,000,000%.
The reality for patients is often grim. A report by the Royal College of Nursing found that overcrowding is so severe many patients do not even get a trolley, instead being forced to sit on chairs or lie on floors for hours.
Calls for Action and Political Accountability
Dr Vicky Price, President of the Society for Acute Medicine, stated the nearly half a million long waits are 'completely unacceptable' and cause 'serious and avoidable harm'. She warned that official 'trolley-wait' statistics mask the true scale of unsafe corridor care now normalised across the NHS.
Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Helen Morgan accused the Government of being in 'total denial' and called for an emergency package to free up hospital and care home beds. She emphasised the need to rebuild GP services to prevent unnecessary A&E visits.
The British Medical Association has announced a five-day strike by junior doctors from December 17 to 22, which is expected to cause significant disruption in the run-up to Christmas.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson acknowledged the 'shocking inheritance' and pointed to earlier winter preparations and a £450 million Urgent and Emergency Care Plan aimed at cutting overcrowding and freeing up beds.
