Elderly patients are more likely to experience lengthy waits in Accident & Emergency (A&E) departments compared to their younger counterparts, according to recent research.
A think-tank report found that 43 percent of patients aged 81 and over faced waits exceeding 12 hours from arrival to hospital ward admission in 2025. This is in stark contrast to the 19 percent of individuals aged 21 to 30 who experienced similar delays.
These longer waits can expose older patients to detrimental conditions such as 'corridor care,' where treatment is administered in non-clinical or unsafe environments lacking privacy, adequate food, water, or restroom access. In May of the same year, approximately 3,000 patients daily in England were treated in hospital corridors or makeshift areas.
Specific health conditions were identified as contributing to these extended delays. Patients with airway or breathing issues accounted for 36 percent of cases leading to waits over 12 hours, followed by gastrointestinal conditions (27 percent) and neurological conditions (36 percent).
Sarah Scobie, deputy director of research at the Nuffield Trust, described the findings as 'absolutely shocking,' noting that prolonged A&E waits have been linked to thousands of preventable deaths. She emphasized the personal toll, stating, 'Behind every case of corridor care is a person going through a frightening and traumatic experience.'
In response, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care highlighted the efforts of National Health Service staff, reporting that three-quarters of patients were seen within four hours in A&E during June.