Almost 150,000 people aged 90 and over are waiting more than 12 hours in England’s A&E departments every year, according to a new report that exposes “shocking” conditions faced by some of the oldest and most vulnerable patients.
The charity Age UK said some older people were being left in their own excrement, sitting in wet beds for hours, or forced to watch others die while waiting to be seen in overcrowded hospital corridors.
Its findings, based on NHS data for 2024–25, show that one in three patients aged 90 or older waited more than 12 hours in emergency departments before being admitted, treated, or discharged. Across all patients aged 60 and above, more than 1 million faced the same long waits.
‘A crisis hiding in plain sight’
Caroline Abrahams, charity director of Age UK, described the situation as “a crisis hiding in plain sight”.
“No one should have to spend their final days in a hospital corridor where staff cannot provide proper care,” she said. “It’s truly shocking that this is happening every day to some very old people.”
The report detailed harrowing examples: one woman died of a heart attack after being left waiting; an 86-year-old man was “lost” by hospital staff in a disused corridor; and another elderly patient, left on an IV drip for 20 hours, soiled himself after being unable to reach the toilet.
A 79-year-old patient compared the scene in A&E to “a war film”, describing rows of stretchers and “people suffering everywhere”.
Corridor care and lost dignity
The report also found patients being forced to use bedpans in public corridors and lying for hours on soiled bedding. Age UK said such experiences were leaving many older people so traumatised that they now avoid hospital altogether, even in life-threatening situations.
One widow told the charity her late husband had been left sitting for more than 20 hours in a chair with a drip attached. “He was desperate to go to the loo but there was no one to take him,” she said. “He was left with excrement in his pants. How dreadful he felt – no modesty.”
Abrahams warned that long waits and corridor care were “like a rot eating away at the heart of the NHS,” adding: “They destroy trust in the system and prevent staff from doing the job they love.”
Calls for government action
The charity is urging ministers to publish a plan to end long A&E waits, with firm deadlines and clear accountability.
“Some hospitals can make improvements themselves,” Abrahams said, “but what’s really needed is determined national leadership. The government must use every lever it has — from targets to funding — to protect the dignity of our oldest citizens.”
The Liberal Democrat health spokesperson, Helen Morgan MP, said: “These harrowing stories of elderly people left in corridors, unable to eat, drink or move, have no place in a modern or decent society.”
‘Unsafe, undignified and unacceptable’
Professor Nicola Ranger from the Royal College of Nursing called the findings “devastating” and said long A&E waits were “a moral stain” on the health system.
“No elderly or vulnerable person should be forced to endure these conditions,” she said. “Overstretched nursing teams are doing their best, but the system is failing both staff and patients.”
Daniel Elkeles from NHS Providers said the report highlighted the urgent need for new investment in buildings and equipment to expand capacity, while Rory Deighton from the NHS Confederation called for “viable alternatives” to A&E, such as walk-in centres and community support for falls and frailty.
Health minister Karin Smyth MP said the report was “heartbreaking”. “No one should receive care in a corridor – it’s unacceptable and undignified,” she said. The government, she added, was investing £450m in new emergency care centres, 500 new ambulances, and 40 mental health crisis hubs to help relieve pressure.
