NHS crisis sees 1MILLION extra patients turn to A&E departments in last year – with strikes, backlogs and difficulties accessing GPs blamed

One million more patients attended A&E last year amid strikes, record waits for routine care and difficulties accessing a GP, figures show.

Health leaders say people have turned to emergency departments because it is a part of the NHS where they know the “lights are on” and they will be cared for.

But increased demand meant more patients waited longer than the four-hour target to be treated, admitted or discharged.

There were 25.34 million A&E attendances in England in 2022/23, up 4 per cent from 24.37 million in 2021/22, according to NHS Digital.

Some 29.2 per cent of patients spent more than four hours in A&E in 2022/23, up from 23.3 per cent the previous year.

Strikes by NHS doctors have been partly blamed for driving the rise in A&E attendances.

Meanwhile, a record 1,789,130 ​​patients spent more than 12 hours in A&E, an increase of 80 per cent in one year and a rise of 491 per cent since 2020/21.

Figures also show that patients in the poorest areas of the country are almost twice as likely to attend A&E than those in wealthier areas.

The figures were published yesterday as junior doctors left hospital for the second day in a row. They are also scheduled to strike again today.

Young doctors provided emergency care on Wednesday, but yesterday and today they did not spare those in the emergency room.

Almost 1 million routine appointments and operations have been canceled as a result of the NHS strike since December, with waiting lists now at a record 7.7 million.

This has caused patients to go to A&E in agony after experiencing delays in their care.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents healthcare organisations, said: “EDs have been under enormous pressure for years, and people naturally gravitate towards ‘where the lights are on’ and where they know They will be served in a relatively short period of time.

‘But it’s not just A&E that are under pressure and that’s the problem.

‘With general practice and primary care also facing high demand, we know that patients can turn to urgent and emergency care if they are struggling to get a GP appointment at a time that is right for them.

“In addition, we have an aging population with increasingly complex needs, a neglected and under-resourced social care sector, and a waiting list for elective care that currently stands at 7.7 million, all of which have consequences for A&E, which provide a safety net for the entire system.

“For example, many of those on waiting lists could develop complications in their condition and therefore seek help in urgent care.”

He added: “Last year’s data shows the magnitude of the effects that increasing demand is having in emergencies and on patients, with more than 410,000 people waiting more than half a day to be admitted, up from 98,000 last year. above, and this is not even from the time of arrival, so a patient could have been waiting much longer.

‘But with very little staff, beds or capacity and availability of alternative services, health leaders can’t do much.

“This level of demand is unsustainable, so we need to focus more on prevention and resourcing community care to help relieve some of the pressure, keep patients healthy and out of hospital, and allow them to receive care.” closer to home.”

Louise Ansari, chief executive of Healthwatch England, the patient watchdog, said: “People continue to wait many hours for care, often in crowded waiting rooms, with little or no information about when they will be seen.”

‘However, people who received care for a life-threatening illness or injury were still confident in the quality of care.

‘Undoubtedly, urgent and emergency services have come under unprecedented pressure over recent years amid the pandemic, strikes, record waiting times for hospital treatment and difficulties in accessing healthcare. care of family doctors.

Separate A&E data also showed patient care plummeted in August as emergency departments faced their busiest summer yet. Just under three-quarters of emergency department attendees (73 percent) were seen within four hours in August, up from 74 percent in July. NHS standards state that 95 per cent must be admitted, transferred or discharged within the four-hour period.

“People will go to A&E if there is nowhere else to go, which will lead to more treatment and care because they couldn’t get help before.”

Miriam Deakin, director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts, said: “These figures show that trusts are working incredibly hard to respond to growing demand by caring for more patients than ever before.”

‘This is notable given the relentless pressure on urgent and emergency care services and the sector as a whole.

‘However, demand continues to outstrip capacity, meaning too many patients are having to wait longer for care and treatment.

‘Shortages of staff, beds and equipment, as well as the need for adequate investment in the NHS, social care and more preventative support, are putting the health service under an alarming level of stress.

‘Strikes also increase pressure. By the end of this week, more than a million patients’ appointments and procedures will have been postponed due to the strike.

“This is incredibly distressing for everyone involved as trusted leaders and their staff are unable to provide patients with the timely, high-quality care they deserve.”