Tenfold rise in A&E patients waiting more than a day for a hospital bed since 2019

Figures show more than 150,000 patients waited more than 24 hours in A&E for a bed last year, most of them elderly or frail

More than 150,000 patients had to wait more than 24 hours in A&E before getting a hospital bed last year, according to new data.

Freedom of information data compiled by the Liberal Democrats from 73 hospital trusts – about half the total – found that the number of patients forced to wait more than 24 hours in A&E before a bed could be found for them has increased by tenfold since 2019. The majority of those forced to wait were elderly or frail, with two-thirds of the patients over the age of 65.

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