Half a million sick patients forced to wait on trolleys in A&E for hours – and experts warn it’ll get worse
NHS data shows 473,000 patients were abandoned on chairs or trolleys in A&E for more than four hours last year
NEARLY five times as many sick Brits are being forced to wait at least four hours for a hospital bed compared to 2010.
Critics now warn the NHS is too stretched to cope this winter.
One in nine emergency patients now faces lengthy delays before being admitted to a ward.
NHS data shows 473,000 patients were abandoned on chairs or trolleys in A&E for over four hours last year.
It was just 98,000 in 2010/11.
Known as “trolley waits”, patients are often left in side rooms, corridors or spare cubicles.
The data, uncovered by the BBC, also shows more than 1,400 sick Brits faced delays of more than 12 hours last year.
Siva Anandaciva, of NHS Providers, which represents hospitals, said: “These figures are deeply worrying. We are heading into winter in a more fragile state than I have seen in the past 10 years or so.”
Three-quarters of hospitals in England are reporting bed shortages.
Wards should never be more than 85 per cent full – this is to give staff time to clean beds, keep infections down and be able to move patients quickly.
But 130 out of 179 hospital trusts reported higher rates for general use beds.
Dr Chris Moulton, of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said overcrowding puts lives at risk.
These figures are deeply worrying. We are heading into winter in a more fragile state than I have seen in the past 10 years or so
Siva Anandaciva
He said: “It leads to worse outcomes for patients - higher infection rates, patients ending up on the wrong wards, and generally a negative experience.
“We simply don’t have enough beds.”
Britain is third from bottom in the EU when it comes to hospital bed numbers, a report revealed last month.
Dr Mark Porter, head of the British Medical Association, said the lack of NHS beds was “unacceptable”.
He said: “These figures are cause for serious concern, and sadly are only set to get worse as we go further into the winter months.
“Front-line staff are working flat-out but the system can’t cope with the number of patients needing to move through acute care, as the entire system is congested.”
Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb said: “This looks like the start of the inevitable winter crisis in our NHS.”
An NHS England spokesman said: “Winter is always a busy time, with demand growing and putting further pressure on GPs and hospitals.
"It is a tribute to frontline staff that they continue to see and treat the vast majority of patients within four hours.”