ENGLAND — Weekly emergency department waiting-time-linked deaths in England exceeded 300 in 2025. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine conducted an analysis that identified these figures.
The Royal College estimated 15,860 excess emergency department deaths in 2025 related to long waits. This follows an estimated 16,644 excess emergency department deaths reported in 2024 due to similar delays. In 2015, the estimated number of excess emergency department deaths related to long waits was 1,657.
Ian Higginson, President of the Royal College, expressed concern over the situation. He stated, "We have to ask why this awful problem isn't the subject of relentless focus and political conversation. The number of deaths linked to long stays in our emergency departments explicitly show the system is failing the patients it is meant to be caring for." Higginson said, "As an emergency doctor, it's heartbreaking that patients arrive to our emergency departments in their time of need, and we can't do our jobs properly because we are full."
Higginson also commented on the approach to solving these issues. "It's frustrating that we continue to see a lack of solutions designed to tackle the root causes of the problem. Instead, we are fobbed off with recycled ideas that haven't ever worked, performance data that doesn't reflect reality, and a focus on perceived quick fixes." He said, "We are being asked to focus on the least sick patients to try and marginally improve headline statistics, rather than on those who need our services the most." Higginson added, "Whilst we welcome the government's stated commitment to eliminate corridor care, until we prioritise patients who experience long waits for admission, we will not get to the bottom of the whole issue."
The Department of Health and Social Care acknowledged that long patient waiting times for emergency care are unacceptable. A spokesperson for the department stated, "While A&E waiting times are at their lowest level in half a decade, we know there is more to do. That is why we are investing over £215m in 40 new and expanded same-day emergency care and urgent treatment centres across England to reduce pressure on A&E." The government is also deploying specialist teams to National Health Service trusts that have high levels of corridor care.
Prof Nicola Ranger, General Secretary and Chief Executive of the Royal College of Nursing, called for urgent investment in hospital beds and the nursing workforce. She also advocated for improved access to primary care and increased capacity in social care. Ranger said, "To bring this to an end, we need system-wide, long-term, sustainable solutions. This must include urgent investment in hospital beds and the nursing workforce, while also improving access to primary care, investing in community nursing and unlocking capacity in social care."