In 2024, approximately 49,000 A&E visits resulted in patients waiting over 24 hours for hospital beds, with a staggering 70% of these cases involving individuals aged 65 and older. Data from 54 NHS trusts showed that East Kent significantly increased its trolley wait numbers post-pandemic. The Royal College of Nursing has highlighted the issue of corridor care, citing nursing shortages as an aggravating factor. The Liberal Democrats are advocating for a new initiative to address these serious delays in patient care, calling for urgent government intervention and transparency on the crisis.
According to a freedom of information request by the Liberal Democrats, some patients went 10 days before getting a space on a ward, demonstrating extreme delays in hospital admissions.
The Royal College of Nursing noted that declining recruitment in nursing was exacerbating corridor care crises, emphasizing that any patient waiting over 24 hours is unacceptable.
The Lib Dems have called for the government to establish a team of experienced NHS bosses to assist struggling trusts, emphasizing the need for patient care standards.
RCN's chief executive stated that the figures only begin to highlight a crisis in corridor care, calling for the NHS and the UK government to disclose the problem's true scale.
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