Tens of thousands of patients endured waits of 24 hours or more in A&E last year before being admitted to hospital beds, with elderly people disproportionately affected, new figures have revealed.
According to analysis conducted by the Liberal Democrats, at least 48,830 “trolley waits” of a full day or longer were recorded in 2024, with people aged 65 and over accounting for nearly 70% of those incidents. The party obtained the figures via Freedom of Information (FoI) requests to NHS trusts in England, with only 54 out of 141 trusts responding with full data – meaning the true figure is likely much higher.
A “trolley wait” describes the period after a decision has been made to admit a patient, during which they are left waiting – often on a trolley – for a hospital bed to become available.
Startlingly, some patients were reported to have waited as long as 10 days for a space on a ward, underlining the extent of the crisis. The Liberal Democrats have said the findings lay bare a system “in collapse”, particularly affecting older people who may be more vulnerable to delays in care.
East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust recorded the highest number of 24-hour-plus waits last year with 8,916 incidents, a dramatic rise from just 30 in 2019. Similarly, Liverpool University Hospitals Trust saw 4,315 such waits in 2024, compared to only 10 in 2019 – an astonishing increase since before the pandemic.
In response, the Liberal Democrats are calling for urgent interventions, including a new taskforce of “super-heads” – experienced NHS leaders who would be deployed to underperforming trusts to help restore standards and reduce waits.
Helen Morgan, the Lib Dem health and social care spokeswoman, condemned both the previous Conservative and current Labour governments for what she described as a lack of effective leadership.
“The least patients deserve is the dignity to be treated in an appropriate area. Not the ramshackle waiting rooms and corridors that far too many have to suffer through for hours,” she said.
“The Conservatives’ beyond-shameful neglect brought us to this point, but the Labour government’s approach of sitting on its hands and hoping it all gets better has not survived contact with reality.”
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The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has also weighed in, stating that the figures “only begin to scratch the surface” of what it calls a “crisis in corridor care”. Professor Nicola Ranger, RCN general secretary, said the problem was widespread and increasingly dangerous.
“A single patient waiting for more than 24 hours is unacceptable – tens of thousands waiting shows why corridor care must be eradicated. It is undignified and unsafe, and now a year-round crisis,” she said.
Nursing shortages, declining recruitment, and overwhelmed hospitals are all believed to be contributing factors. The RCN reiterated that nurses remain key to addressing the issue and urged the Government to commit to real solutions.
In defence, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said:
“No patient should have to spend 24 hours in A&E waiting to be admitted to a ward. We are determined to end the annual winter crisis in urgent care and to cut waiting lists for emergency care, but it will take time.”
The Department pointed to efforts such as the RSV vaccine rollout, the delivery of over 27 million COVID and flu vaccines, and resolution of strike actions to protect A&E departments during the winter. They also highlighted broader NHS reforms aimed at reducing reliance on A&E through expanded community care.
A spokesperson for East Kent Hospitals Trust acknowledged the pressure, saying:
“We have seen increased attendances across our three main hospitals and we are sorry that patients are waiting longer than we would like in our emergency departments.”
University Hospitals of Liverpool Group has yet to provide a formal comment.
With local elections looming and healthcare likely to feature prominently, the state of A&E services – and how to fix them – will remain a key political battleground in the coming weeks.
