More than 1m older other folks in England waited over 12 hours in A&E closing 12 months

More than 1 million older other folks a 12 months in England are pressured to attend longer than 12 hours in A&E, with many having to bear “degrading and dehumanising” hall waits on trolleys.

The quantity elderly 60 and over ready greater than 12 hours to be transferred, admitted or discharged higher to 1.15 million in 2024, up from 991,068 in 2023. The determine was once 305,619 in 2019, in keeping with information got by way of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) underneath freedom of knowledge rules.

A file by way of the RCEM additionally discovered the danger of a 12-hour wait in an emergency division in England higher with the age of the affected person. People elderly 60 to 69 had a 15% probability of ready 12 hours or extra. For the ones elderly 90 and over, the possibility rose to 33%.

“The healthcare system is failing our most vulnerable patients – more than a million last year,” stated Dr Adrian Boyle, the president of the RCEM. “These people are our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents.

“They aren’t receiving the level of care they need, as they endure the longest stays in our emergency departments, often suffering degrading and dehumanising corridor care. It’s an alarming threat to patient safety. We know long stays are dangerous, especially for those who are elderly, and puts people’s lives at risk.”

As smartly as lengthy waits, the RCEM file discovered many older other folks had been lacking out on important exams in A&E. Of sufferers elderly over 75, simplest 16% had been screened for delirium – a reversible situation connected to an higher possibility of dying. Fewer than part (48%) of sufferers had been screened for his or her possibility of falls.

Dr Nick Murch, the president of the Society for Acute Medicine, stated: “This situation, where over a million older patients are known to have endured prolonged periods of over 12 hours in emergency departments, frequently in unsuitable and undignified settings such as corridors, is a matter of grave concern.

“It is clear that, despite the considerable dedication and hard work of multidisciplinary teams including emergency medicine, acute medicine and acute frailty services, these extended waiting times signify a profound failure within our healthcare system.

“We must ensure that 12-hour waits in emergency departments again become an infrequent exception rather than the norm.”

The RCEM recommends adjustments, together with “front door frailty screening” in each and every A&E, which is already being presented in Scotland.

Boyle stated: “It’s the system that’s the issue and will continue to disproportionally affect older people unless governments across the UK make A&E a political priority.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson stated: “It is unacceptable that older people are waiting up to 12 hours or more in A&E. This government is investing £26bn in the NHS and social care over the next two years, has ended the resident doctor strikes so staff are on the frontline, and is committed to cutting A&E waiting times so patients are seen faster.

“Through our 10-year health plan, we will ensure that patients, including older people, are seen promptly in A&E, waiting times continue to come down, and more people get a GP appointment.”