Elderly patients are disproportionately subjected to extended waits in Accident and Emergency departments, with new data revealing that more than a fifth endure delays exceeding 12 hours.
An analysis from the Nuffield Trust think tank starkly highlights this disparity, indicating that frail patients aged 81 and above are frequently the most severely impacted, often experiencing so-called “corridor care” within hospital environments.
While experts previously attributed longer A&E stays for older adults to their higher likelihood of hospital admission, the study challenges this long-held assumption.
It demonstrates that even among patients of all ages who are ultimately admitted, older individuals consistently face the longest waiting times.
“Corridor care” is defined as treatment administered outside a clinically appropriate and safe environment. Such suitable settings should guarantee fundamental patient rights, including privacy, access to essential amenities like food, water, and toilets.
Furthermore, the ability to minimise noise and turn off lights to facilitate much-needed rest is crucial.
The Nuffield Trust analysis showed that, in 2025, 43 per cent of over-80s faced a wait of more than 12 hours between arrival in A&E and admission to a hospital ward, compared with 19 per cent of those aged 21-30.
Experts further found that some health problems are much more likely to lead to long waits of more than 12 hours than others.
In 2025, people with airway or breathing issues faced these long waits (191,193, equivalent to 36 per cent of cases), while gastrointestinal conditions (161,905 or 27 per cent), and neurological conditions (159,897 or 36 per cent) also led to long waits.
In May, nearly 3,000 patients every day were cared for in hospital corridors or makeshift treatment areas in England.
And in February, more than 72,000 of all patients waited over 12 hours, representing a third of all admissions.
The Nuffield Trust said it welcomed the publication of monthly corridor care figures, but said a government focus on eliminating corridor care as a key target could encourage hospitals to act in a way that is not best for patients.
For example, trusts may choose to delay patients being handed over from ambulances to slow down the flow of patients into A&E.
The Nuffield Trust said major, long-standing issues relating to corridor care include a low number of hospital beds on wards, and inadequate social care outside of hospitals, leading to delayed discharges.
Nuffield Trust deputy director of research, Sarah Scobie, said: “It’s absolutely shocking that two fifths of the most elderly patients going into A&E are stuck waiting for over 12 hours, often in unsafe conditions, when they are already extremely unwell and vulnerable.
“Since the pandemic, stories like this have become so common, and we know that long A&E waits have caused thousands of avoidable deaths in recent years.
“Behind every case of corridor care counted in the new data is a person going through a frightening and traumatic experience.
“The fact that we even need a proper definition and data for corridor care in the NHS shows just how far A&E performance has spiralled out of control, with very long waits now the norm.
“But overly focusing on corridor care risks long waits being seen as just a problem for A&E departments.
“The evidence is clear that we need improvements in how patients flow through hospitals after A&E.
“Better access to health and social care services outside hospital, both before and after an admission is needed, is also needed to bring about a sustained reduction in long A&E waiting times.”
Dr Ian Higginson, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM), said: “Corridor care is now becoming commonplace in our emergency departments and patients who are in need of a bed cannot get one.”
He said “trying to divert people away from our doors is not a quick fix, as millions of patients will still need our services”.
He added: “This week, the Prime Minister has suggested that he wants to shift his attention towards tackling social care.
“A key component of social care is care for those who are elderly or frail. Increased attention towards the ‘back door’ of the hospital, including social care and other services which support discharge, would be a welcome step towards bringing bed capacity down and easing overcrowding and we hope this is included in his thinking.
“However, capacity can also be improved in other ways.
“Emergency departments operate 24/7, but many of the services which support them and discharges are not currently delivered into evenings and weekends. This isn’t just a matter of beds, it’s a matter of good operational practice.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “Even under record pressure, the incredible dedication of NHS staff meant that three-quarters of patients were seen in A&E within four hours in the month of June.
“But we know we need to go further. That is why we are investing £450 million this year through our urgent and emergency care plan, which will expand bed capacity, enable more care to be delivered outside hospital settings, and cut A&E waits even further.
“We also know that achieving the best NHS waiting times is reliant on a stronger social care system, which is why the Prime Minister has set out this week his determination to reform social care, and give people the dignity, support and security they deserve.”