A RECORD 420,000 patients languished in A&E for more than 12 hours last year.
Latest NHS England figures reveal a 20 per cent surge from 2022 and almost a 50-fold rise from the numbers recorded four years ago, according to analysis by the Lib Dems.
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Leader Sir Ed Davey blasted both the “appalling delays” and a postcode lottery which sees almost half of patients of some trusts, such as the North Middlesex University Hospital Trust, waiting more than 12 hours.
Sir Ed said: “Every year A&E delays are getting worse and worse as hospitals are starved of the resources and staff they need.”
In 2019, 8,272 patients faced “trolley waits” of 12 hours or more.
But in 2023 the number ballooned to 419,560.
Patricia Marquis, director of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “Ultimately, patients won’t get the care they deserve until the Government commits to safe nurse staffing levels, which requires paying them fairly.”
A Department of Health spokesman said: “Our urgent and emergency care recovery plan is already cutting A&E waits and ambulance response times compared to last year — but we know there is still more to do.”