Elderly people waited nearly twice as long in A&E in England as in 2021

Shortages of beds across the NHS means many older patients are stuck in hospital corridors awaiting admission to a ward, weakening their already fragile health. Photograph: Sergio Azenha/Alamy

The amount of time people over 80 spend in A&E in England has almost doubled in a year, leaving them at increased risk of coming to harm and dying, emergency care doctors are warning.

An analysis by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) found that people of that age are spending 16 hours in A&E waiting for care or a bed, a huge rise on the nine hours seen in 2021.