Over 5,000 deaths since 2016 after delayed admission to A&E

A study by leading NHS doctors has revealed that 5,449 patients have died over the past three years because they have spent so long on a trolley in an A&E unit waiting for a bed in overcrowded hospitals.

The patients lost their lives since 2016 as a direct result of waiting anywhere between six hours and 11 hours, with the research finding that those deaths represent the total ‘estimated attributable mortality’ from the delays.

Led by Dr Chris Moulton and Dr Cliff Mann, the study found that 960 out of 79,228 patients who had to wait about six hours died as a direct result of the delay, meaning that one in every 83 people who have to wait that long to be admitted could die as a direct result of the delay in them starting specialist care for their condition.

The research, as yet to be published but seen by the Guardian, concluded that the deaths are entirely and solely caused by the length of wait and not by the patient’s condition.

Moulton said: “The research shows that delays in emergency departments are harmful for patients and lead to very poor patient experience, and also involve a risk of death, that we have tried to quantify. Emergency doctors like me are keen to emphasise that delays in emergency departments are bad for patients and should be avoided at all costs.”

John Kell, the head of policy at the Patients Association, said: “These results are deeply shocking and very worrying. Patients are clearly suffering tragic consequences as well as loss of dignity and discomfort from spending far too long waiting on a trolley for care. This is as a direct result of sustained underfunding of the NHS and social care and ongoing shortage of hospital beds.

“Despite the unstinting efforts of NHS staff, patients can no longer be sure of receiving safe or dignified care if they need to be admitted to hospital. This is an entirely needless and completely unacceptable situation.”