Long A&E waits rise amid warning of 'corridor care disaster' and 'very difficult winter'

14 November 2024, 14:23 | Updated: 14 November 2024, 16:10

The number of people waiting more than 12 hours in A&E; departments in England last month was the third-highest ever.

Some 49,592 had to endure the long wait - up from 38,880 in September - as experts warned of patients "languishing on trolleys" in corridors.

The figures record the time from a decision to admit a patient to them actually being admitted. The number of people waiting for more than 12 hours has only been higher twice since comparable records began in 2010.

In total, it was the busiest-ever October for English A&Es;, with 2.36 million attendances.

Waits of four hours or more increased from 130,632 to 148,789, the fourth-highest ever. Some 73% of patients were seen in under four hours, a fall from 74.2%.

NHS leaders have warned of "more pressure than ever before" this winter - and ambulance response times also slipped in October.

A total of 759,019 call-outs were responded to - also the highest ever for October.

The average wait for life-threatening emergencies went from eight minutes and 25 seconds in September to eight minutes and 38 seconds. The target is seven minutes.

For less urgent calls, including heart attacks and strokes, the average was 42 minutes and 15 seconds. The target is 18 minutes and hasn't been met for four years.

Patricia Marquis, executive director for the Royal College of Nursing in England, said the A&E; figures showed a "corridor care disaster is unfolding".

"Near-record numbers are languishing on trolleys after being deemed sick enough to be admitted, while thousands cannot be discharged due to a lack of community care," she said.

"The cold weather hasn't properly arrived, and this situation threatens only to worsen."

Cancer care targets were also missed, according to the latest NHS England figures.

Some 74.8% of urgent referrals took place within 28 days in September, just below the 75% target.

The proportion of patients getting a first definitive treatment within 62 days was 67.3%, down from 69.2% in August and well short of the 85% target.

Waiting lists down for routine care

However, the figures also showed improvements in some areas.

The overall waiting list for routine treatment in England was the lowest for five months at the end of September; an estimated 7.57 million treatments relating to 6.34 million patients.

For waits of 52 weeks or more, the number was 249,343 - an improvement on August but the last government set the goal of ending all year-long waits by March 2025.

The September figure for waits over 65 weeks was 22,903, nearly half the 45,527 recorded in August.

However, the target to end all waits of this length was September this year.

'Busier than ever before' NHS faces 'real risk' of winter 'crisis'

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said the health service was going into winter "under more pressure and busier than ever before".

He also warned of "a further spike of pressure caused by colder weather and the spread of winter viruses".

Professor Powis urged people to only call 999 or go to A&E; in a life-threatening emergency and use 111 for everything else.

Rory Deighton, acute director at the NHS Confederation, said it was "very concerning that the health service is running so hot ahead of what is expected to be another very difficult winter".

He warned there was a "real risk" services could be "overwhelmed and fall into crisis".

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Health Secretary Wes Streeting said this week that failing hospitals would be named and shamed in league tables and managers sacked if they fail to improve things.

However, some experts have said it does not address root causes.

Dr Vicky Price, president-elect of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: "We have grave concerns that focus is being placed in the wrong areas, with talk about the introduction of league tables, penalties and consultations distracting from the pressing need to deliver meaningful solutions on the ground right now."

(c) Sky News 2024: Long A&E; waits rise amid warning of 'corridor care disaster' and 'very difficult winter'