More than 150,000 A&E patients were forced to wait more than 24 hours before securing a hospital bed last year, figures reveal

More than 150,000 patients endured emergency waits of more than 24 hours before getting a hospital bed last year, a tenfold increase since 2019, new figures reveal.

Elderly and frail patients were hardest hit by the long waits: around two-thirds of the 150,000 patients were over 65 years old.

Senior doctors have warned that long waits would likely lead to patient deaths as NHS backlogs continue to worsen.

NHS leaders acknowledged the problem and said they were exploring alternative ways of treating people without the need for hospital admissions.

According to official data, almost 40,000 patients are forced to wait 12 hours in the emergency room to get a bed each month, which represents a 50-fold increase compared to pre-pandemic levels and a 600-fold increase since 2015.

Now new figures obtained from freedom of information requests by the Liberal Democrats reveal that 153,000 patients in 73 hospitals waited more than 24 hours in A&E last year before a bed could be found for them.

The data, published in The Times, refers only to those patients who needed a hospital bed after attending A&E and not those who could be treated and sent home.

The figure has multiplied tenfold compared to 2019, when only 15,000 patients waited more than 24 hours for a bed.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: “It is appalling that so many elderly and vulnerable people are being forced to endure these terrifying waits while our health service teeters on the brink.

“Behind each of these figures is a story of someone waiting in pain, very worried about receiving the care they need.”

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine has estimated that more than 250 patients a week died last year due to delays in emergencies.

East Kent hospitals had the worst figures of all the trusts that provided figures, with more than 14,000 patients waiting more than a day.

An NHS spokeswoman said: “Last year, NHS staff faced significant demand (393,000 more A&E visits and 217,000 more emergency admissions compared to 2022), plus an unprecedented industrial strike, high occupancy of beds and the usual pressure caused by seasonal illnesses, including Covid and flu. .’

However, he insisted there had been “significant progress” for patients with measures such as same-day emergency care.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: “Our Urgent Care Recovery Plan, backed by £1bn in 2023-24, has added 5,000 extra hospital beds and deployed 10,000 home hospital rooms to help people to receive treatment in the comfort of their homes. homes.”