THOUSANDS of patients are having to wait 12 hours at A&E to be admitted into hospital.

According to official data, 4,423 people have endured the wait at hospitals in Morecambe Bay over the past year. 

Comparing 2021 to 2022, the total increase in 12 hour admissions waiting was 3,487 or 373 per cent.

The most recent data also showed that a quarter of people who visit emergency departments are admitted, transferred or discharged in longer than the national four-hour target.

The England average is 28 per cent.

Some 34 per cent of people have had to wait longer than the target time of 18 weeks for routine treatments at hospitals in the region.

Cumbrian MP Tim Farron has slammed the Government for allowing the 'devastating delays' in emergency care and called for an urgent plan to tackle staff shortages.

Mr Farron said: “These devastating delays are leaving far too many patients across Cumbria waiting in pain and in fear for the treatment they deserve.

“For years the Government has ignored repeated warnings about the pressures facing the NHS and care, allowing the situation to go from bad to worse. This crisis means far too many people are now terrified of getting sick or injured because they don't know if the NHS will be there when they need it.

“The Government needs to come up with a proper plan to tackle chronic staff shortages, instead of allowing our health and care services to lurch from crisis to crisis. 

“Liberal Democrats are calling for funding to support more GPs and social care workers, especially in rural areas like ours so people can be cared for at home where needed instead of being stranded in hospital.” 

An NHS England spokesman said: “There is no doubt that hospitals have experienced significant demand for emergency care this winter, and the latest published data shows the NHS is continuing to make progress against its winter plan - ambulance response times have improved across all four categories, and the percentage of people admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours of arrival at A&E in January was at the highest level since May.

“As part of extensive winter preparations, the NHS introduced more call handlers, more beds, and 24/7 system control centres to manage increased demand, and will build on that with the new plan to recover urgent and emergency care, launched at the end of last month."