Soaring emergency department pressures highlight NHS under strain

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Emergency department attendance reached record levels but admission rates reduced last year, according to data showing the huge pressure faced by hospitals.

New figures highlight the record numbers of patients who attended hospital emergency departments in England in the year from 2022 to March 2023 - together with continuing pressures in Wales.

During the year, 25,348,842 million people attended emergency departments in England, equivalent to nearly half the country’s population and a 4% increase on the previous year.

Out of these patients, 6% were admitted to hospital, a reduction of 1.5 percentage points in admission rates and the lowest rate in five years. More than a quarter of these patients, 410,000, waited longer than 12 hours for a bed after the decision to admit.

Royal College of Emergency Medicine president Dr Adrian Boyle said: “Last year and last winter were dire.

“Record attendances met with the significant shortfall of staff and beds meant huge numbers of patients faced severe delays for care that we know are associated with increased harm and even deaths.