Emergency care leaders warn of rising A&E delays in England

Emergency care leaders in England are warning of a ‘brutal winter’ as Accident and Emergency (A&E) waiting times have reached a four-year high. Data from NHS England indicates that over 10% of patients—totaling 157,574 individuals—waited more than 12 hours before being admitted, transferred, or discharged last month.

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) has called for urgent government intervention, citing a shortage of inpatient beds and insufficient social care capacity as primary drivers of the delays. Dr. Ian Higginson, President of the RCEM, noted that departments are already struggling to cope with pressure before the seasonal surge in respiratory illnesses arrives. The organization highlighted that many hospital beds remain occupied by patients who are medically fit to leave but cannot be discharged due to a lack of community and social care support.