RCEM report documents A&E experiences of people aged 75+
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) has published a report entitled ‘Care of Older People 2023-24’.
This report is part of the College’s Clinical Quality Improvement Programme which is in its second of three years. Using data from 24,865 patient experiences from 4 October 2023 to 3 October 2024 it shows 12+ hour waits in A&E departments across the UK for people aged 75+.
The report also documents:
- Only 16% of patients were screened for delirium, a reversible condition which can be associated with mortality, characterised by a sudden change in mental function.
- On average less than half (48%) of patients had screening to assess the risk of falling.
- An average of only 56% of patients underwent screening for general frailty, which if detected early can trigger more timely intervention and support in hospital and in the community.
Dr Adrian Boyle, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, says:
“The healthcare system is failing our most vulnerable patients – more than a million last year. These people are our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents. They aren’t receiving the level of care they need, as they endure the longest stays in our EDs, often suffering degrading and dehumanising ‘corridor care’.
It’s an alarming threat to patient safety. We know long stays are dangerous, especially for those who are elderly, and put’s people’s lives at risk. As our QIP highlights, more needs to be done to improve their care – vital tests need to get underway as soon as they arrive to inform the care they need and mitigate the risk of another visit to the ED.”
You can read the report here: https://rcem.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/RCEM-2023-24-Care-of-Older-People-QIP-National-Report.pdf
Find out more about the RCEM Quality Improvement Programme here: https://rcem.ac.uk/quality-improvement-2/