Record 420,000 patients waited more than 12 hours in A&E in 2023 – analysis

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A report 420,000 patients needed to look ahead to more than 12 hours in A&E final yr, marking a 20 per cent improve in delays since 2022.

Analysis of the newest NHS England figures by the Liberal Democrats has proven that one in 15 A&E patients confronted a prolonged “trolley wait”, marking the very best quantity since information started in 2011.

This quantities to a complete of 419,560 over the course of the yr – a mean of 1,150 patients a day.

Lib Dem chief Sir Ed Davey criticised the “appalling delays” and accused Rishi Sunak’s authorities of “ignoring the suffering of patients and driving our health service into the ground”.

The celebration additionally pointed to a postcode lottery, with nearly half of patients at some trusts, such because the North Middlesex University Hospital Trust, ready for more than half a day.

Significant waits in A&E have been linked to extra deaths and elevated hurt to patients, as their situation may deteriorate earlier than they’re admitted or given a mattress on a ward.

Sir Ed stated: “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&E departments.

“It is simply unthinkable that Rishi Sunak is now choosing to slash funding for the NHS further, while handing big tax cuts to the banks. This will just pour petrol on the flames of the NHS crisis.

“People deserve so much better than this Conservative government that is ignoring the suffering of patients and driving our health service into the ground. Every vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote to fix the NHS and ensure people can access the care they need.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson stated: “Our urgent and emergency care recovery plan is already cutting both A&E waits and ambulance response times compared to last year – but we know there is more to do.

“We are on track to deliver an additional 5,000 permanent staffed hospital beds this winter and have met our target to deliver 10,000 virtual ward beds, allowing patients to recover from the comfort of familiar surroundings.

“We recently provided £800m to support capacity in the NHS and help patients get the care they need as quickly as possible this winter.”