Lincolnshire and Rutland patients waited more than 12 hours in A&E, new NHS figures showed

The number of patients forced to wait more than 12 hours for treatment in A&E departments has been revealed.

For the hospitals serving Lincolnshire and Rutland, one area saw almost one in five patients facing a wait of more than 12 hours for emergency care — a timeframe that experts have warned leaves patients at greater risk of death.

NHS figures published by The Times showed the following delays for November:

*North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust: 15,605 patients, 1,865 faced 12-hour waits, 12%

*NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board: 10,835 patients, 1,930 faced 12-hour waits, 17.8%

*The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, NHS Foundation Trust: 6,785 patients, 920 faced 12-hour waits, 13.6%

*NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board: 25,095 patients, 2,965 faced 12-hour waits, 11.8%

The worst-performing trust for 12-hour waits was Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, where 28% of A&E patients faced this length of delay. About 5,000 patients a day face a 12-hour wait.

Dr Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, told The Times that the risk of dying increases after six hours in A&E — with extra danger for 12-hour-plus waits.

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