Death rate in England exceeded 1.3 thousand people per month due to waiting in the emergency room

In England, more than 1.3 thousand patients die every month due to long waits in emergency departments, which is 10 times more than 10 years ago. This was reported on June 8 by The Guardian newspaper, citing an analysis by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM).

According to the analysis, in 2025, more than 300 deaths each week were associated with long waits for medical care, compared with 30 cases per week in 2015.

"We have to ask ourselves why this terrible problem is not the subject of close attention and political discussions. The number of deaths related to long stays in our emergency departments clearly shows that the system is not meeting its targets," said RCEM President Dr. Ian Higginson.

To estimate excess mortality, RCEM used a study of data from more than 5 million patients of the UK National Health Service, published in the Emergency Medicine Journal in 2021. The study showed that for every 72 patients who spent 8 to 12 hours in the emergency department before receiving a bed, there was one death.

At the same time, the risk of death began to increase after five hours and worsened with increasing waiting time. Using this method, RCEM estimated that 15,860 deaths occurred in 2025 due to long hospital waits. Professor Nicola Ranger, general secretary and chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, said the death toll was a disaster that had been overlooked in hospitals for too long.

"To put an end to this, we need systemic, long-term and sustainable solutions. This should include urgent investments in hospital beds and medical staff, as well as improved access to primary care, investments in the work of nurses on the ground," she said.

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In April, it was reported that the UK's National Health Service (NHS) was facing an acute shortage of medical staff, forcing nurses and medical assistants to replace qualified doctors. It was noted that the so-called "substitute doctors" could provide substandard medical care.