1ºIt's not a new problem. When a patient is admitted from the ER and there are no hospital beds on the units, there is not a way to transfer from the ER to the unit. Staffing does play into it but you need to look at it from the other side. When a patient is discharged, they may not be able to return home. That means a skilled nursing facility (SNF) bed. If such a bed can't be found, the patient is stuck. So some of this isn't just a hospital problem, it is a community problem if the community doesn't have enough SNFs. The other thing is if a patient has no insurance. If that patient requires ongoing care to be arranged in order to be discharged, the patient has no ability to pay, then very few will take a charity case. It isn't only what happens inside the hospital but also what is happening outside of the hospital that may influence bed availability.
As far as ER wait times, people use the ER for non-emergency care. It wouldn't be wrong to say that at least 25% of ER visits are for minor health issues or things that could be treated elsewhere. A sore throat, constipation, a cold, a rash, etc.