A&E: Long waits are up by 80% as “dire” figures indicate pressure on services

Figures showing a 4% rise in the number of patients attending England’s accident and emergency departments in the past year highlight the “severe” pressure on services, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine has warned.

Figures from NHS Digital showed a further rise in A&E visits in 2022-23, to a high of 25.3 million, making an 18% increase over the past decade, with patients also facing longer waits.1 A record 410 092 patients waited more than 12 hours from the moment they arrived until being transferred, admitted, or discharged in the past year, an increase of 80% on 2021-22. In all, 70.8% of patients spent four hours or less in A&E in 2023-23, down from 76.7% the year before. …