31 October, 2025
In response to Age UK’s new report, titled ‘The Longest Wait - Our A&E Crisis Demands an Emergency Response’, Dr Ian Higginson, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: “This report makes for incredibly distressing reading. It’s abundantly clear that older people are bearing the brunt of a system in crisis.
“This report reflects RCEM’s own analysis – last year alone, more than a million people aged 60 and over waited 12 hours or more in England’s EDs, often on trolleys or chairs in corridors, to be admitted, discharged or transferred. And we know that the older a person is, the more likely they are to experience a long stay in ED.
“Older people are more likely to suffer with complicated or multiple health issues. This, combined with a shortage of available inpatient beds, is a leading cause of long waits.
“The situation is beyond shameful. I know that at times I, and many of my colleagues, can find it difficult just to walk through our departments because of what we see there.
“The harrowing testimonies detailed in this report must serve as another wake-up call to the government – long waits and corridor care must be a political priority. At the moment, they simply aren’t.
“The problems are fixable and it must start at the ‘back door’ of our hospitals – ensuring they work effectively, and that patients who are deemed medically well enough to go home, can, with appropriate social care in place. This will free up more beds for patients who need them.
“Our elderly patients, who are some of the most vulnerable patients we see, deserve better.”