One in 10 A&E patients in England face ‘dangerous’ 12-hour waits

The figures reflected a ‘relentless’ demand for urgent and emergency care, said Dr Layla McCay of the NHS Confederation. Photograph: Victoria Jones/PA

One in 10 people attending A&E in England face a “dangerous” wait of at least 12 hours for staff to deal with their problem, previously hidden NHS figures show.

Data released on Thursday by NHS England for February showed that 125,505 people – 10% of everyone who sought help at a hospital-based emergency department in England that month – endured waits of at least 12 hours to be admitted, transferred or discharged.