Sir Ed Davey warned of elderly patients stuck waiting to be admitted to hospital from A&E (Image: GETTY)
A record 420,000 patients faced "trolley waits" of 12 hours of more in A&E last year, new analysis shows.
Figures from NHS England revealed a 20 per cent increase in people having lengthy delays following a decision to admit them to hospital from the emergency department.
A total of 419,560 patients - one in 15 - had "trolley waits" of more than 12 hours in 2023 marking the highest number since records began in 2011, according to the analysis by the Lib Dems.
Dennis Reed, director of the Silver Voices campaign group for over 60s, said: "These days you have to have the patience of a saint if you need hospital treatment.
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"Wait for an ambulance, wait for hours in A&E, and then wait uncomfortably on a trolley in a corridor to be admitted to a ward. Tragically some do not survive this ordeal.
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"Nearly half a million patients a year waiting 12 hours or longer to be admitted to hospital beggars belief."
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey warned that hospitals are "starved of the resources and staff they need".
He said: "These appalling delays are leaving often vulnerable and elderly patients waiting for hours on end in overcrowded A&Es."
Long delays in A&E have been linked to increased harm to patients and excess deaths.
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A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: "Our urgent and emergency care recovery plan is already cutting both A&E waits and ambulance response times compared to last year - but we know there is more to do.
"We are on track to deliver an additional 5,000 permanent staffed hospital beds this winter and have met our target to deliver 10,000 virtual ward beds, allowing patients to recover from the comfort of familiar surroundings.
"We recently provided ￡800 million to support capacity in the NHS and help patients get the care they need as quickly as possible this winter."
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