Record 518,000 patients faced trolley waits of 12 hours or more in A&E last year, shock figures show

A RECORD 518,000 patients faced trolley waits of 12 hours or more in A&E last year, shock figures show.

Data also reveals a 25 per cent increase in the rate of the half-day waits for beds compared to 2023.

And the situation now dwarfs that in 2019, when just 8,272 were left stranded for so long.

It comes as the NHS advertises shifts for dedicated corridor carers.

The Lib Dems, who compiled the data, have called on the Government to urgently bring down bed occupancy levels to the safe rate of 85 per cent.

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine says it is currently at 93 per cent.

Lib Dem health spokesperson Helen Morgan said: “The Government looks to be asleep at the wheel and must take rapid action.

“This must start with the Health Secretary producing an emergency plan to protect patients.”

Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s department insisted it is taking action, saying: “It will take time to fix our broken NHS, but it can be done.”

A spokesman added: “It is shocking corridor care has become a normal feature.

"Despite the best efforts of staff, patients are receiving unacceptable standards of treatment.”

It comes as more than a dozen hospitals have declared critical incidents amid a “quad-demic” of flu, Covid, norovirus and the RSV virus.

Whittington Hospital in North London advertised for a corridor shifts nurse.

Sharing it on X, emergency medicine expert Dr Ian Higginson said: “Don’t be fooled as critical incidents stood down; they’ll be back.

"lmost every hospital is treating patients in corridors and car parks."

Whittington Health NHS Trust said it is experiencing “very significant pressure” and this was a last resort.