In 2024, it has been reported that more than 1.7 million patients waited 12 hours or more to be admitted, discharged or transferred from A&E services. This is a 14% more increase compared to the year before; of these patients 69.2% were waiting to be admitted for further care.
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) conducted a research into the problem and they have reported that elongated A&E waiting times, these spanning 12 hours or more, are associated with over 16,600 deaths in England in 2024. This calculates to around 320 lives being lost every week.
As a response to this alarming update, Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, Emergency Medicine Doctor and Chair of RCEM, has pledged to investigate the harm caused by delays and corridor care as priority.
Dr Adrian Boyle, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, also shared their thougths on the crisis:
“I am at a loss as how to adequately describe the scale of this figure. To give it some context, it is the equivalent of two aeroplanes crashing every week.
“It’s sobering, heartbreaking, devastating and more. Because this is so much more than just data and statistics. Each number represents a person – a dearly loved family member – grandparents, parents, siblings and friends – who has died because of a system in crisis.
“These were patients who were stuck in Emergency Departments, watching the clock tick by as they waited extremely long hours, often on a trolley in a corridor, for an in-patient bed to become available for them.
“The issue also affects A&E staff who are trying their best to deliver care in areas that are designed to be throughfares – not treatment spaces.
“Ultimately, the Emergency Care crisis is fixable. It’s all about flow – getting patients into to a ward bed when they need one and home again as soon as they are well enough to leave.
Source: Royal College of Emergency Medicine.
Join us on our upcoming High Intensity Use Services in A&E: Optimising Care for Frequent Attendees:
We will be exploring the root causes and underlying factors behind frequent users of A&E, including mental health needs, chronic conditions and gaps in community care. We will also examine the broader implications for the NHS in terms of resource allocation, patient outcomes and system-wide efficiency.
