TRAPPED FOR HOURS IN A&E

Thousands face day-long waits to be seen by hospital medics

- Neil Doyle

MORE than a thousand people a day sat in A&Es for over 24 hours in the run-up to Christmas.

Shocking figures reveal 34,820 endured marathon waits in November.

And official data also show a sharp rise in the number of patients hanging on for up to 12 hours for treatment to be completed.

The statistics – released by NHS Digital – lay bare the performance of casualty units across England and Wales. They reveal that more than 1,100 people on average faced a day-long ordeal.

The data also show 155,950 patients sat up to 12 hours in A&Es in November, from arrival to discharge. This is almost treble the 53,855 that faced delays in November 2019.

The longest delays were at East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust, where 1,715 patients waited over 24 hours.

Last night Dr John Lister, from the campaign group Health Emergency, accused the Government and the NHS of being “in denial” over problems faced by those needing urgent care.

He insisted: “This is not because there are more patients than ever before. In fact, December saw a drop of almost 15 per cent – and a decrease in the proportion of the more serious Type 1 cases most likely to need beds compared with 2019.