The Health Secretary has branded lengthy waits in accident and emergency departments for elderly patients who have “paid into the NHS all their lives” as “appalling”, following a damning report exposing the scale of delays for older people.
Wes Streeting admitted that while reform is underway, the crisis engulfing urgent and emergency care cannot be fixed “overnight” or even “within one year”. His remarks come as new data reveals over one million people aged 60 and above were left languishing in A&E for more than 12 hours last year, many waiting on trolleys in overcrowded corridors.
The figures, obtained by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) through the Freedom of Information Act, show a stark rise from 991,000 in 2023 and are nearly triple the number recorded in 2019. Experts say the trend highlights an alarming deterioration in care for the frail and elderly.
Speaking to Times Radio, Mr Streeting said: “Anyone being stuck in A&E for that length of time is unacceptable, but for people who’ve spent their lives paying into the NHS and giving to our country, it’s particularly appalling. None of us would want our parents or grandparents being left in corridors or waiting endlessly for care.”
Mr Streeting acknowledged the distressing scenes seen during the peak of last winter’s NHS crisis – including ambulance queues and patients treated in corridors – are likely to return in some form this year, but said efforts to reverse the decline are well underway.
“As I said during the height of the winter chaos, the scale of the challenge is huge. It’s like turning a juggernaut – but it is turning, finally, in the right direction,” he told LBC Radio. “While I can’t promise no one will be waiting on trolleys this winter, I am determined to deliver year-on-year improvements.”
The RCEM report lays bare how the likelihood of waiting 12 hours or more in emergency departments increases significantly with age. A patient in their 60s has a 15% chance of such a delay, while those aged 90 and over face a 33% likelihood – effectively one in three.
Dr Adrian Boyle, president of the RCEM, warned: “The healthcare system is failing our most vulnerable patients – more than a million last year. These are our parents, our grandparents, and they are being subjected to degrading, dehumanising corridor care. It’s a shocking threat to patient safety.”
The RCEM’s Quality Improvement Programme analysed 24,865 patients from 149 emergency departments across the country. Among those aged over 75, it found that screening for basic, life-altering conditions was alarmingly insufficient.
More Read
Only 16% of older patients were screened for delirium – a sudden and potentially reversible change in mental function associated with increased mortality. Just under half (48%) were assessed for fall risk, and only 56% were screened for general frailty, despite early detection enabling vital support.
The report urges the Government to introduce “front door frailty screening” in every A&E – a policy already being rolled out across Scotland. Mr Streeting said the Government’s upcoming emergency care improvement plan, due later this month, will address many of these shortcomings.
He also highlighted recent efforts to ease pressure on A&Es by improving access to GP services, saying: “Too many people are turning up at emergency departments because they can’t get a GP appointment. We’re tackling that head-on with changes announced today.”
Despite the challenges, Mr Streeting struck a note of cautious optimism: “There’s no quick fix, but with grit and commitment, we can rebuild our NHS. That means restoring that most basic promise – that the NHS will be there for all of us, when we need it most.”
Do you want this story laid out in a printable news format or adapted for online publication?
