'Avoiding NHS trolley waits': Lib Dems promise legal right to be seen in A&E within 12 hours by scrapppign pharaceuticals deal with Donald Trump's US
People in England would be given the right to be seen within 12 hours in A&E as part of a £1.5 billion plan proposed by the Liberal Democrats.
Party leader Sir Ed Davey will pledge a “legal guarantee” to limit the length of so-called “trolley waits” for patients to be allocated hospital beds.
The Lib Dems say their plan would be funded by scrapping the Government’s pharmaceuticals deal with Donald Trump’s US which could see the NHS pay billions more for drugs.
The agreement keeps American imports of UK medicines tariff-free for three years in return for the NHS raising its threshold for spending on new treatments by 25%.
The extra £1.5 billion would make around 6,000 more beds available each day by expanding hospital capacity and creating “safety net” social care beds for patients waiting on long-term care decisions, the Lib Dems said.
Latest NHS England data covering November last year shows that some 50,648 people waited more than 12 hours on a trolley following a decision to admit them to hospital.
16,644 associated excess deaths related to longer stays before hospital admission
Analysis by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine has estimated that in 2024 there were 16,644 associated excess deaths related to these longer stays before hospital admission.
Under the Lib Dems’ proposals, ministers would have a “statutory duty” to ensure patients wait no longer than 12 hours to be admitted.
In a speech on Tuesday, Sir Ed is expected to say: “This deadly corridor crisis isn’t befitting of the heroic doctors, nurses and other health professionals who work in our NHS.
“It’s not what we expect from our NHS, and it’s not what we pay our hard-earned money in taxes to fund our NHS for.
“No wonder people were so furious with the Conservative Party for plunging the NHS into this crisis, and are now so fed up with Labour for letting things get worse on their watch.
“No wonder people look at how badly both those parties have let them down, and think politics just doesn’t work for them. People want change – real change.”
The Lib Dem plan will involve a combination of reserving places in care homes, funding more care packages for people leaving hospital and supporting family carers to look after their loved ones at home, Sir Ed will say.
“With the package we are calling for today, the Government could put an end to 12-hour A&E waits altogether, by the end of the year. Never again should anyone have to watch their loved one die on a trolley in a hospital corridor,” he will say.
