Elderly Patients Face Prolonged A&E Waits Amidst NHS Corridor Care Expansion
Over-80s endure significantly longer waits for hospital admission as nearly 3,000 patients daily receive care in makeshift areas.
Image: Eddie Pollard / AI
Sarah Connor
Elderly patients are disproportionately affected by extensive waiting times in Accident and Emergency departments, with 43% of over-80s experiencing waits exceeding 12 hours for hospital admission in 2025.
Two-fifths of patients over 70 face waits exceeding 12 hours in Accident & Emergency departments. This figure dwarfs the 19% of those aged 21 to 30 experiencing similar delays, according to Nuffield Trust analysis.
These prolonged waits often occur in unsafe conditions. They impact already unwell and vulnerable individuals.
It's absolutely shocking that two fifths of the most elderly patients going into A&E are stuck waiting for over 12 hours, often in unsafe conditions, when they are already extremely unwell and vulnerable.
Sarah Scobie confirmed, "It's absolutely shocking that two fifths of the most elderly patients going into A&E are stuck waiting for over 12 hours, often in unsafe conditions, when they are already extremely unwell and vulnerable."
The issue extends beyond waiting rooms. Nearly 3,000 patients every day received care in hospital corridors or makeshift treatment areas across England in May.
This practice, known as "corridor care," rolled out across the NHS from 2022. It aims to facilitate ambulance offloading and return vehicles to service.
Long A&E waits have contributed to thousands of avoidable deaths in recent years, Sarah Scobie stated.
The government's focus on eliminating corridor care as a primary target could inadvertently encourage hospitals to prioritize administrative goals over optimal patient outcomes. This is a concern raised by the Nuffield Trust.
Such a focus might lead to hospitals delaying patient handovers from ambulances to meet these administrative goals.
Dr Ian Higginson stated that attempting to divert patients away from emergency department doors is not a quick fix. Millions will continue to require these essential services.
The ongoing demand underscores systemic pressures on emergency care infrastructure. The expansion of corridor care and the disparity in waiting times highlight a critical challenge for healthcare policy.
Addressing these challenges requires a comprehensive strategy. This strategy must consider both immediate patient needs and long-term systemic resilience.