150,000+ UK NHS patients waited over 24 hours for an emergency bed in 2021, a tenfold increase since 2019, mainly affecting elderly or frail patients.
150,000+ patients waited over 24 hours for a bed in UK NHS emergency departments in 2021, a tenfold increase since 2019, according to new data. The majority of those forced to wait were elderly or frail, with two-thirds of patients over 65. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine estimates that delays in A&E last year were responsible for around 14,000 deaths.
April 07, 2024
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