Many Britons are waiting 12 hours at A&E
The crisis in emergency care has deep roots
A WISE DOCTOR once said that accident and emergency (A&E) departments were the “shop window” of the National Health Service (NHS). It was the experience of A&E, argued Sir George Alberti, who advised the previous Labour government in the 2000s, that shaped people’s views of the service. The current view through the glass is a dark one. In December 2024 only 55% of patients attending a major A&E in England were seen within four hours—an eon away from the 95% target routinely met in Sir George’s time. A survey last year by the Royal College of Nursing, a union, found that two-thirds of their members had treated patients in inappropriate settings, including corridors, waiting rooms and even car parks.
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This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “The new normal”
Britain February 1st 2025
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- Why Britain has fallen behind on road safety
- Is British justice too secretive?
- Many Britons are waiting 12 hours at A&E
- What the rise of bubble tea says about British high streets
- The rise of the Net-Zero Dad
From the February 1st 2025 edition
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