More than 9,000 people waited longer than 24 hours in Northern Care Alliance A&E facilities last year

According to Freedom of Information data obtained by the Liberal Democrats, a staggering 9,608 patients waited 24 hours or more in A&E last year across Northern Care Alliance, the NHS trust covering Oldham.  

Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “A&E waiting times have spiralled out of control.  Patients across Oldham Borough are waiting agonisingly long hours in A&E for the care they need.  The crisis in our NHS cannot be ignored any longer, it is putting patients at risk.”

The longest wait time experienced by a Northern Care Alliance patient in 2025 was a breathtaking 146 hours.  But wait times were up across the board, with the number of patients experiencing waits of longer than 24 hours increasing by 25% in just one year.

Councillor Sykes said: “The Government needs to be far bolder if we’re going to save the NHS.  Liberal Democrats have a proper plan to end the corridor care crisis, and we want to see an urgent change in the law so the Government can be held accountable if they continue to let long A&E waits spiral.  It’s clear we now need to introduce a wait time guarantee to give patients some confidence that NHS trusts can bring this under control.”