Research from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine estimates that 14,000 deaths in 2023 were linked to long A&E waits, prompting the Liberal Democrats to label the situation as 'shocking and dangerous.'

In response to the crisis, Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasized the need to rebuild the NHS, pledging to fight for reform tirelessly.

Starmer announced plans to reduce the number of patients waiting more than 18 weeks for treatment by nearly half a million within a year, and to increase the use of private healthcare services.

Liberal Democrats spokesperson Helen Morgan criticized the government for inaction and called for an emergency plan to address the crisis, including increasing hospital bed availability and recruiting retired staff.

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Sarah Arnold from the King’s Fund highlighted the risk posed by high occupancy levels, stating that winter demand spikes can lead to catastrophic consequences for NHS services.

NHS staff have reported that the current pressures they face are comparable to those experienced during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 20 NHS trusts recently declaring critical incidents.

Recent data from the Liberal Democrats reveals a staggering 518,000 patients experienced waits of 12 hours or longer in Accident & Emergency (A&E) during 2023, a dramatic increase from just 1,306 in 2015.

In December 2023 alone, 54,000 patients waited 12 hours or longer, marking a 23-fold increase from December 2019's figure of 2,356.

Ambulance handovers are facing significant delays, with 42.2% of patients waiting at least 30 minutes and 21.3% waiting over an hour, both figures marking the highest levels this winter.

Current hospital bed occupancy is reported at 93%, with an average of 5,408 flu patients in beds in England last week, indicating a strain on NHS resources during the winter season.

The total number of long waits increased by over 100,000 from 2023's total of 415,000, representing a 25% rise.