54,988 people in Croydon waited more than four hours in A&E last year

54,988 people in Croydon waited more than four hours in A&E last year

- There has been a 52.3% rise in patients in Croydon waiting more than four hours in A&E since 2019

- In Croydon, 54,988 people waited over four hours in 2023

- Nationally, nearly 3 million more people waited over four hours in A&E compared with 2019

The number of patients waiting more than four hours in Croydon’s A&Es has risen by 52.3% compared with four years ago, Liberal Democrat analysis of House of Commons Library research reveals.

The data showed that across Croydon, 54,988 people waited over four hours in 2023, 18,886 more than in 2019, a 52.3% increase.

The data also revealed that the number of patients who waited over 12 hours to be seen in A&E in Croydon rose from 127 in 2019 to 4,600 in 2023. 

In England as a whole, there were nearly 6.5 million waits of over four hours in 2023, up nearly 3 million since 2019. This comes as Liberal Democrat research revealed that the NHS budget is facing a £4.7 billion cut this year when inflation is taken into account. 

Conditions can worsen significantly for patients who are not promptly seen, and the Royal College of Emergency Medicine has previously estimated that there were 23,003 excess patient deaths in England in 2022 associated with long waits.

Liberal Democrat candidate for Croydon South, Richard Howard said: 

“Every year A&E delays keep getting worse under this Conservative government as hospitals in our area are starved of the funding they need. 

“These appalling delays are leaving often vulnerable and elderly patients in our area waiting for hours on end in overcrowded A&Es. 

“Croydon deserves so much better than this Conservative government that is ignoring the suffering of patients and driving our health service into the ground. Every vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote to fix the NHS and ensure people can access the care they need.”