The latest Emergency Department (ED) performance figures from NHS England, covering July 2026, show that last month was the worst July on record for 12-hour waits, with over 150,000 patients waiting more than half a day in major (Type 1) EDs.
It also shows that more than 47,000 patients who attended major EDs spent over 12 hours waiting on a trolley.
On average, around 2,300 patients received corridor care per day, and a new record of over 14,000 patients experienced a delay in leaving hospital, when they were ready to be discharged.
The summer period is where ED performance traditionally recovers slightly, but four-hour performance has decreased by 1.4 percentage points from last July.
Overcrowding is rife yet meaningful action to tackle it is nowhere to be seen – without urgent help, EDs will be at breaking point before the challenges of winter even begin, warns the Royal College of Emergency Medicine.
Dr Russell Duncan, Vice President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: “Our ED teams continue to step up to every new challenge that’s thrown their way, and heatwaves are no exception.
“But as Emergency Departments work harder and patients needing urgent care still end up waiting longer, overcrowding is worsening and it is incredible that we still see little in the way of meaningful action to tackle it.
“A&E congestion is often caused by poor flow through the hospital and social care system resulting in shortages of available inpatient beds, rather than an increase in the number of people arriving at the front door. So, while demand may be at a record high, attributing all of the problems we experience in our Emergency Departments to it is simply wrong. The sooner we improve patient flow through the hospital, the more capacity there will be to manage additional pressures, like this extreme weather.
“It’s positive to hear that NHS England have recognised corridor care as a patient safety priority and that the Health and Social Care Secretary aims to properly plan for summer demands, but everyone in our EDs is worried that the help isn’t coming soon enough.”
Responding to the report by the General Medical Council (GMC), also published today (Thursday 13 August), RCEM Vice President Russell Duncan, said:
“It is completely unacceptable that system pressures are leaving four in ten doctors struggling to provide the level of care they are comfortable delivering and leaving them questioning their sense of purpose.
“It’s no surprise that an overwhelming demand in emergency care and the very real danger of corridor care becoming an accepted part of treatment are noted as contributing factors.
“Teams working across Emergency Medicine are continuing to deliver extraordinary care under extraordinary circumstances. They deserve recognition, support, and a system that works for everyone, patients, relatives and staff.
“Better systems and coordination between teams will always be a very welcome improvement but we can’t afford to wait for a step-by-step approach when we are seeing such detrimental impacts to our patients and our workforce.”
