A report from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine finds that more than one million older people faced waits of 12 hours or more in A&Es in England last year.
More than one million older people faced waits of 12 hours or more in A&Es in England last year and the older a person is, the more likely they are to experience a long stay which has a significant impact on patient safety.
The data comes from a report from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) that looks at the care older people receive in Emergency Departments.
Across the UK, 149 emergency departments submitted 24,865 patient cases from 4 October 2023 to 3 October 2024. Despite a year-on-year improvement from 2023, these patients are enduring the longest waits in A&Es and are bearing the brunt of an urgent and emergency care system in crisis.
The report finds that only 16% of patients were screened for delirium, less than half (48%) had screening to assess the risk of falling and only 56% underwent screening for general frailty.
“The healthcare system is failing our most vulnerable patients – more than a million last year. These people are our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents,” said Adrian Boyle, president of the RCEM.
“They aren’t receiving the level of care they need, as they endure the longest stays in our EDs, often Suffering degrading and dehumanising corridor care,” he continued.
Front door screening
Figures obtained by RCEM via Freedom of Information Act requests, reveal in England’s major emergency departments last year, 1,148,666 people aged 60 and over waited more than 12 hours to be transferred, admitted or discharged. That is more than 3.5 times more people when compared to 2019 when the figure stood at 305,619.
The report also found that the likelihood of experiencing a 12-hour wait in A&E increases with the age of the patient. People aged 60-69 have a 15% chance of waiting 12 hours or more, whereas for those aged 90 and above, the likelihood rises to 32.5%.
The RCEM recommends that front door frailty screening should be in place in every A&E to improve the care they need, something which is already being introduced in Scotland.
In January this year, the Scottish government announced that special frailty teams will be placed at the front door of every A&E by the summer, to ensure these patients receive the specialist care and support they need, whether in hospital or back at home.
Early indications from pilot schemes in Glasgow show that the average length of stay for vulnerable patients has reduced by three days over the last 18 months without an increase in readmission.
