Record 420,000 patients faced 'appalling delays' of more than 12 HOURS in A&E last year

A record 420,000 patients had to face 'appalling delays' of more than 12 hours in A&E last year, new analysis by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

The latest NHS England figures showed there had been a 20 per cent increase on 2022 in people facing lengthy delays after a decision to admit them to hospital from the emergency department.

In 2023, 419,560 people – or one in 15 A&E patients – faced so-called 'trolley waits' of 12 hours or more, the party said. It marks the highest number since records began in 2011, and amounts to an average of 1,150 patients a day.

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

Significant waits in A&E have been linked to excess deaths and increased harm to patients, as their condition could deteriorate before they are admitted or given a bed on a ward.

Sir Ed said: “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&Es.

“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