350,000 patients waited over 12 hours for hospital admission from A&E

The Guardian reports:

A record 350,000 patients waited more than 12 hours to be admitted to hospital from A&E last year [in England], according to figures that raise fears about unsafe care as the NHS faces further waves of strike action.

The figures, uncovered in an analysis by the Liberal Democrats, show a steep rise in delays since 2015, when just 1,306 patients waited 12 hours. Senior doctors described the situation as “unbearable” for patients and staff, ahead of a strike in which thousands of ambulance workers will walk..

“The failure of the Conservative government to grip this crisis is simply unforgivable,” [Ed Davey] said. “Instead they have shamefully allowed the situation to go from bad to worse through years of neglect and failure.”

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