Newly released figures have exposed a dramatic escalation in England's NHS emergency care crisis, with the number of patients walking out of A&E departments without receiving any treatment more than tripling in just six years.
A "Shocking" Surge in Untreated Patients
Analysis by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) of official NHS data paints a stark picture of a system buckling under immense pressure. The most alarming statistic shows that between July and September 2025, more than 320,000 people left A&E without being treated. This represents a catastrophic increase when compared to the same quarter in 2019, when the figure stood at just under 100,000.
The RCN attributes this "shocking" rise directly to soaring demand for urgent hospital care combined with dangerously long waiting times. Most of these individuals are believed to have left in sheer frustration after enduring extensive delays. The crisis is further highlighted by a staggering 90-fold jump in patients waiting over 12 hours in A&E, skyrocketing from 1,281 in 2019 to 116,141 in 2025.
A System at Breaking Point
Professor Nicola Ranger, the RCN's General Secretary and Chief Executive, condemned the lack of urgency in addressing the emergency. She stated that "skyrocketing numbers leaving emergency departments without treatment is dangerous and a sign of a broken system."
Professor Ranger pinpointed a vicious cycle crippling the NHS: failures in primary and community care push more people towards A&E, while a lack of social care support prevents medically fit patients from leaving hospital. "The net result is acute services totally jammed up, staff at breaking point and patients leaving frustrated, only to possibly return in even worse health," she warned.
Private Sector No Panacea as Pressures Mount
Compounding the strain on the NHS, a separate report from healthcare analysts LaingBuisson suggests the situation could worsen. Their research indicates that economic pressures are making private healthcare less affordable for many. While NHS-funded care in private hospitals hit a record £2.2bn in 2024, the growth in people paying for their own private treatment was a mere 0.1%.
Tim Read, Head of Research at LaingBuisson, explained that for high-cost surgeries, people are increasingly choosing to wait for NHS treatment rather than pay privately. "Should self-funders begin to turn away from private healthcare towards NHS services, it will place even more strain on the NHS," he cautioned.
However, this reliance on private providers is contested. Dr John Puntis, co-chair of Keep Our NHS Public, argued that NHS contracts with private firms are a false economy, draining the already overstretched NHS workforce. "The answer isn’t outsourcing; it’s investing in NHS staff, services and capacity so people don’t feel they have to go private in the first place," he asserted.
In response to the findings, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson acknowledged the problem, stating: "No one should receive care in a corridor in a chair or trolley – it is unacceptable and undignified." The Department pointed to its publication of corridor waiting figures and a winter investment package of almost £450m aimed at expanding same-day care and upgrading ambulances.
