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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Andrew Gregory Health editor

More than 1m older people in England waited over 12 hours in A&E last year

England RCEM Adrian Boyle
Staff and an elderly patient in a wheelchair on an NHS hospital ward
The number aged 60 and over waiting more than 12 hours to be transferred, admitted or discharged increased to 1.15 million. Photograph: Jeff Moore/PA

More than 1 million older people a year in England are forced to wait longer than 12 hours in A&E, with many having to endure “degrading and dehumanising” corridor waits on trolleys.

The number aged 60 and over waiting more than 12 hours to be transferred, admitted or discharged increased to 1.15 million in 2024, up from 991,068 in 2023. The figure was 305,619 in 2019, according to data obtained by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) under freedom of information laws.

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