Overcrowding in A&E linked to 'hundreds of deaths a week', study finds

Overcrowding in A&E departments and treating patients in corridors is linked to hundreds of deaths every week in the UK, a study has found.

A review of more than 19,000 adult patients found that for every 10% increase in emergency department occupancy, the chance of dying in the following 28 days increased by 1%.

The study took place across a two-week period in March 2025 at 134 A&Es in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, reflecting about 70% of emergency departments.

Dr Ryan McHenry, from the University of Glasgow, and an emergency medicine doctor in the west of Scotland, presented the findings at the European Emergency Medicine Congress in France.

"We found that increased crowding in emergency departments is associated with increased mortality for patients admitted to hospital," he said.

"This is important because we know that emergency departments are now often very crowded and reducing that crowding has the real potential to save lives."

Dr McHenry said about 550 deaths every week may be caused by overcrowding in A&E departments.

"Although we cover the majority of the emergency departments in the UK, this was still a relatively small study, and the possible range of expected deaths is therefore large; we estimate anywhere between 33 and 1,083 excess deaths are plausible," he said.

For the research, occupancy was calculated by how many spaces, such as cubicles, the A&E department had compared with how many patients were being treated.

Results indicated that, on average, emergency departments were operating at 175% occupancy, which signifies overcrowding.

Dr McHenry and his colleagues also examined the impact of "corridor care" - patients receiving treatment in non-standard clinical spaces such as corridors.

This was linked to an increase in the risk of deaths at a similar rate as overcrowding, although the team said occupancy rate was much easier to measure and record.

More from Sky News:
NHS may review 4,500 breast cancer cases
Rapid test to transform brain tumour diagnosis

Dr Felix Lorang, a member of the emergency medicine congress abstract selection committee, said the findings showed that "overcrowding and corridor care mean many emergency patients will not survive".

"Many emergency departments are operating far beyond capacity, and the 'exit block' - when patients are stuck in the emergency department because no inpatient ward beds are available - places an even greater burden on these emergency departments," he said.

"This makes it harder for doctors and nurses to deliver the treatment patients need, or even the minimum treatment required to prevent further harm."

Dr Ian Higginson, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: "People are dying in association with overcrowding in emergency departments.

"This should be cause for alarm among policymakers, and yet we are not seeing any urgency."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "The NHS faced the busiest summer in its history this year, but thanks to the incredible work of NHS staff, 75% of people in A&E were seen in four hours in August.

"Overcrowding can have a serious impact on patients' experience and safety, which is why we are taking urgent action to reduce pressure on emergency departments and end corridor care.

"We know there is much more to do to reduce pressures on A&E departments, which is why we're going further and faster to improve emergency care, deploying expert teams into the most challenged trusts and investing more than £1.5bn in hospital buildings and facilities to help them withstand year-round pressure.

"And by shifting more care into the community, we are helping people to get the care they need closer to home."

(c) Sky News 2026: Overcrowding in A&E linked to 'hundreds of deaths a week', study finds