- New analysis reveals there were over 163,000 12 hour plus trolley waits this winter, up 15% compared to last year
- Some areas saw over half of patients waiting 12 hours or more before being admitted to hospital this winter
Research by the House of Commons Library, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, found that, in England, there were over 163,000 ‘trolley waits’ of 12 hours or more this winter. The analysis looks at how many patients waited over 12 hours in A&E after a decision to admit them to hospital, commonly known as trolley waits. In some areas, a shocking one in two patients who were admitted to hospital waited 12 hours or more after a decision to admit.
Overall there were 163,000 trolley waits of 12 hours or more this winter, up 15% from 142,590 in the same period last year. It means more than one in 10 (10.2%) patients faced a wait of 12 hours or more after a decision to admit them to hospital this winter. Recent analysis has estimated that around 50,000 people died last year after long A&E waits.
There have also been harrowing stories this winter of patients dying in corridors and glorified cupboards as A&Es struggled to cope with the growing pressure. Some NHS Trusts have also started advertising positions for ‘corridor care nurses’ to work shifts in their corridors and provide care there.
North Middlesex University Hospital Trust was the worst in the country with a staggering 53% of waits following a decision to admit being 12 hours or longer. This was followed by Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals with 49.7% and Croydon Health Service Trust with 38.4%.
Reacting to this data, the Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson Helen Morgan said,
“Over the last couple of years, there has been widespread reporting from nurses that they are delivering care in overcrowded and unsuitable places – such as corridors, converted cupboards and even car parks – on a daily basis.
“Patients are forced to routinely receive care in unsuitable conditions, without dignity or privacy, and compromising patient safety.
“And this is fast becoming the new normal.
“This year, several job postings for “corridor care nurses” were advertised across the country, as hospitals desperately sought to cope with appalling overcrowding in A&E. Patients should not be expected to accept this.”
