NHS corridor care now a year-round crisis, experts warn...It's a Permacrises!
- Sep 3
- 3 min read
Figures analysed by the Liberal Democrats reveal that the number of people attending A&E in June and July has risen by 15% since 2015, reaching 2.9 million, the highest level recorded over the past decade.
Whereas 12-hour trolley waits were almost unheard of a decade ago, with just 47 recorded over June and July in 2015, the situation is now starkly different. In June 2025, 38,683 patients – 7.2% of all A&E attendees waited 12 hours or more to be admitted. Across the two months, 74,150 patients, an average of 1,216 a day, endured waits of at least 12 hours.
Some hospitals recorded even more extreme delays. At five NHS trusts, more than a quarter of patients experienced waits exceeding 12 hours, with Epsom and St Helier reporting 42% in June and 45% in July, and Warrington and Halton registering 48% in June and 30% in July.
Helen Morgan, the Lib Dem health and social care spokesperson, described the data as evidence of a “permacrisis.”
“What was once a winter crisis has become a year-round disaster, with the health service buckling under pressure all year round,” she said. “Every day people are put at risk by long, deadly waits with families watching helplessly as loved ones are left in agony on trolleys in A&E corridors.”
The Lib Dems have called for a “winter emergency package” to relieve pressure on A&Es, proposing measures such as increased vaccine uptake, wider access to pharmacies, and a recruitment drive to expand the number of out-of-hours GPs. “Without this, the pressure on our A&Es will continue to mount and patients’ safety will be put at risk,” Morgan added.
Dr Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said the figures underscored that NHS summer respite no longer exists.
“If this is the level of demand we are experiencing now, what will winter look like, when we have an annual spike in seasonal illness which heaps further demand on the system?” he said. Boyle stressed that the government’s winter preparedness plan must focus on increasing ward capacity and supporting timely discharges.
“Only then will we have any hope of ending the shameful scenes of very poorly, often vulnerable, people stranded on trolleys in corridors for long and dangerous periods of time. Scenes which are now sadly commonplace in our EDs whatever the time of year,” he added.
Patricia Marquis, executive director for England at the Royal College of Nursing, warned that the surge in 12-hour waits highlights a systemic year-round crisis.
“There has been no respite for understaffed nursing teams during a record summer and they will now be worried about what the coming winter has in store. Ministers need to act with urgency before the cold weather arrives and stop patients being placed in corridors, cupboards, waiting rooms and any space hospitals can spare. It is utterly undignified and will never be a safe standard of care,” she said.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson insisted that the government has invested in emergency care improvements.
“We inherited an emergency care system on its knees, but under this government A&E waits continue to improve despite an overall increase in demand, ensuring patients are being seen sooner. We have invested nearly £450m to expand urgent and emergency care facilities – delivering more same-day emergency care services, more mental health crisis centres and around 500 new ambulances – so patients get better, faster emergency care,” the spokesperson said.
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