The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) is urging NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care to prioritise reducing the longest and most dangerous waits as Emergency Departments brace for the challenges of winter.
This call comes as the latest NHS England performance data reveals that 164,880 patients waited 12 hours or more to be admitted, discharged, or transferred from a major Emergency Department last month.
This marks the second-highest figure ever recorded for October, meaning one in nine patients endured this wait.
Key Data from October 2025:
- 1,481,222 attendances at major EDs – the busiest October on record.
- Only 60.1% (590,612) of patients were seen within four hours, far below the NHS standard of 95%.
- On any given day, around 13,117 patients were medically fit for discharge but couldn’t leave, often due to insufficient social care options. Simultaneously, 13,124 patients waited in EDs for a ward bed.
Hospitals are nearing capacity, with bed occupancy at 93.6% (excluding beds being cleaned or repaired). - 54,314 people waited 12 hours or more after the decision to admit them – commonly known as a ‘trolley wait’.
For the first time, NHS England has also published A&E performance data for individual hospitals, a move RCEM has long advocated for and welcomed when the commitment was made in June.
Dr Ian Higginson, President of RCEM, said:
“First, we want to thank DHSC and NHSE for delivering on their commitment to publish A&E performance data for each and every Emergency Department.
“This was the result of intense lobbying by RCEM and for the first time, it paints the true and transparent picture of the pressures and challenges we are facing. And it’s bleak.
“Earlier this week, NHS Chief Executive Sir Jim Mackey, said ‘there’s no doubt’ this winter will be one of the toughest the health service has faced.
“And he’s right: this winter is shaping up to be awful for our patients and staff.
“Long waits are already increasing, and so too are delayed discharges. It’s a deeply worrying trend on the cusp of winter.”
“Now is the time for policymakers and politicians to focus on how we make our hospitals less full, so there are inpatient beds for our patients in Emergency Departments when they need them. When there aren’t beds: they wait in our corridors. It’s undignified and dangerous.
“The crisis in our departments is affecting our brilliant ED teams, who are feeling increasingly disillusioned with the failure to address the core problems. Each day, we are putting on our scrubs knowing we will treat vulnerable patients in a corridor.
“At the end of the month, the government will be delivering its budget. The Chancellor has already flagged the government will aim to bring down waiting lists for planned care, and we hope to see a commitment to tackle waits in our departments for patients who didn’t plan to be with us. This requires a political commitment to invest in hospital and social care capacity, which has been missing for a long time and remains that way. That’s why it’s a political failure.”
The research compiled by RCEM highlights the reality for patients seeking urgent or emergency care, the harm they face, and the urgent actions needed to address this crisis.
Image credit: iStock
