Overview
- Age UK describes a crisis in plain sight, citing testimonies of older patients left for hours or days in corridors without dignity or adequate care.
- NHS England’s September data show 75% of patients were seen within four hours, with 44,765 waiting more than 12 hours to be admitted, up from 35,909 in August.
- Health minister Karin Smyth denounces corridor care as unacceptable and announces £450m for same‑day urgent and emergency care centres, 500 new ambulances, 40 mental health crisis centres, and a commitment to measure and publish corridor‑waiting numbers.
- The Royal College of Nursing labels corridor care unsafe and undignified, warning that overstretched and understaffed teams cannot deliver proper care in hallways.
- Charities and clinicians caution that pressures could worsen over winter, as some older people report reluctance to seek emergency care after poor experiences.