Record 350,000 casualty patients waited 12 hours or more for NHS beds last year

A RECORD 350,000 casualty patients waited 12 hours or more for a hospital bed last year — seven times higher than in 2021.

NHS figures show that of 5.9million patients admitted to hospital from A&E, 347,707 — one in 20 — waited half a day for a bed.

It was up from 48,626 from the year before, according to analysis by the Liberal Democrats.

Ambulance staff in England and Wales are on strike again tomorrow over pay and conditions.

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said: “The appalling delays at A&E are needlessly costing lives as patients are left waiting hours on end for the treatment they need.

“We need a plan now to bring the NHS back from the brink.”

Delays admitting patients into hospital from casualty lead to ambulances backing up at the door.

This increases 999 wait times and means Brits in crisis have to wait longer for help.

Dr Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, added: “The A&E statistics for 2022 are shocking.

“Twelve-hour waits used to be a never event, now they are a daily event.

“We know extremely long waits are associated with patient harm and patient deaths, and the more patients that face long waits, the more harm there will be.”