The FOI data revealed an ‘exponential increase' in one to three day waits in A&E in the last six years from just 1,346 instances in 2018/19.

Caroline Abrahams, Age UK charity director, said: ‘We should all be ashamed that this is what we've come to in some hospitals, it's utterly soul destroying for doctors and nurses, and extremely frightening for older people who know they may need to go to A&E one day.'

More than half (54,000) of the 101,972 cases in 2024/25 cases were over 80.

The over-representation of older people in corridors is being driven by their attending A&E with multiple, often complex health needs which take longer to assess and determine the right course of treatment for.

The charity called for doctors and other older people specialists to work in, or close to, A&E and to be available 24/7 to speed up flow, highlighting they were more likely to advise against hospital admission.

Age UK stressed the need for good joint working between hospital, community health services and social care, as well as more social care availability.

In addition, the charity highlighted the need to accelerate the shift to neighbourhood health.

Age UK called for: an urgent funded operational plan to reduce the incidence of long A&E waits and end corridor care, with specific deadlines and milestones; regular data on corridor care and long A&E waits and their impacts; appointment of a minister accountable for reducing long waits; and a peer learning programme for hospitals and ICBs to share proven solutions, tackle barriers to discharge and protect and support NHS staff.    

Rory Deighton, acute and community care director at the NHS Confederation, said: ‘Health leaders continue to work on tackling the root causes of corridor care, trying to ensure flow through the system by improving patient discharge, working with local authorities to improve social care support and prioritising vulnerable older patients at the front door through increased frailty screening. But until the challenges in social care are tackled it is likely that the practice will unfortunately continue.'

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘These stories are shocking and appalling, and our thoughts go out to all those who have faced difficult experiences in A&E. This Government inherited a broken NHS with unacceptable waiting times and corridor care normalised, but we are working hard to things around – and thanks to the steps we've taken, this winter ambulances are arriving faster, and A&E waits are shorter.

‘We have invested almost £450m in urgent and emergency care, delivered hundreds of thousands more vaccinations to protect the vulnerable and are building new same day emergency centres and mental health crisis centres.

‘We have also delivered over 5m additional appointments, cut waiting lists by 312,000, and launched our 10-Year Health Plan which will deliver more care in the community to ease pressure on hospitals. We will soon be publishing data on corridor care, as sunlight is the best disinfectant.'