Number of 24-hour waits in A&E rockets for Wiltshire patients
A local MP says the figures are shocking
The number of 24-hour waits in A&E has rocketed for Wiltshire patients, according to new statistics.
The number of people who found themselves at A&E for more than 24 hours hit nearly 3,000 in 2025.
Figures were collated for the three hospitals that serve Wiltshire residents.
At Royal United Hospitals in Bath, the number of patients waiting more than 24 hours stood at 908 – 290 more than in 2024.
At Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust, 466 people waited more than 24 hours in A&E – four times the figure in 2024.
And at the Great Western Hospitals Trust, a shocking 2,934 people faced a wait of 24 hours or more – almost double the 2024 figure of 1,624.
Great Western Hospital also claimed the longest wait – 90 hours, or 3.8 days – from arrival to admission.
The figures wwere as obtained under a Freedom of Information request submitted nationally by the Liberal Democrats.
Chippenham MP Sarah Gibson said she was “shocked” by the figures.
“These agonising A&E waits tell us that the broader system is broken. NHS staff are doing everything they can, but they are being asked to work within a system that lacks beds, staff, and social care capacity,” she said.
“When I was rushed to RUH in 2024, I saw firsthand how access to timely emergency care too often depends on luck.
“In Wiltshire, we also have the additional problem that we have no NHS dentists left. It is also increasingly difficult to see a GP, especially if you do not have access to good public transport.
“A lack of access to basic primary NHS care means that we are failing to prevent problems from becoming emergencies. The crisis in social care also means that there is often nowhere appropriate for A&E to discharge some patients to.
And she said the public should not blame doctors and nurses.
“A lack of preventative healthcare combined with the social care crisis is why Wiltshire is suffering so much,” she said.
“That is not the fault of frontline workers, but the consequence of sustained mismanagement at the top.”