Study links overcrowding in emergency departments to hundreds of deaths each week

Overcrowding in emergency departments and treating patients in corridors may be associated with hundreds of additional deaths in the UK each week, according to a new study.

Researchers reviewed data on more than 19,000 adult patients and found that every 10% increase in emergency department occupancy was associated with a 1% rise in the risk of death within the following 28 days.

The study covered a two-week period in March 2025 and included 134 emergency departments across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, representing about 70% of all emergency departments in the UK.

Dr Ryan McHenry of the University of Glasgow, who also works as an emergency medicine doctor in western 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,” McHenry said.

He said the findings were significant because emergency departments are frequently operating under severe pressure, and reducing overcrowding could potentially save lives.

Based on the study's results, McHenry estimated that overcrowding could be associated with around 550 deaths each week. However, he stressed that the study was relatively small and that the estimated number of excess deaths has a wide range.

“We estimate anywhere between 33 and 1,083 excess deaths are plausible,” he said.

For the study, researchers measured occupancy by comparing the number of treatment spaces, such as cubicles, with the number of patients being treated.

On average, emergency departments were operating at 175% of their capacity, indicating substantial overcrowding.

The researchers also examined “corridor care”, in which patients receive treatment in non-standard clinical areas such as corridors. This was associated with a similar increase in the risk of death, although the researchers noted that occupancy levels are easier to measure and record consistently.

Dr Felix Lorang, a member of the emergency medicine congress abstract selection committee, said the findings highlighted the risks associated with overcrowding and corridor care.

He also pointed to “exit block” — situations in which patients remain in emergency departments because there are no beds available in inpatient wards. According to Lorang, this places additional pressure on already overcrowded departments and makes it more difficult for medical staff to provide the care patients require.

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

A spokesperson for the UK Department of Health and Social Care said overcrowding can have a serious impact on patients’ experience and safety. The department said it was taking measures to reduce pressure on emergency departments and end corridor care, including deploying expert teams to hospitals facing the greatest challenges and investing more than £1.5 billion in hospital buildings and facilities.

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