The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) found for every 10% increase in ED occupancy the risk of a patient dying within 28 days rose by 1%.  

Dr Ian Higginson, president of the RCEM, 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.

‘RCEM continues to call for the Governments of the four UK nations to act to address the catastrophic effect overcrowding and long waits in our EDs on our patients – who are suffering harm and will continue to do so because of a failure to act.  

‘They must also recognise the impact that working in such conditions have on staff, who we risk losing in droves should the problem persist. Politicians need to focus efforts on the main causes of the problem rather than on apparent quick fixes which patently aren't working. 

‘Governments must make tackling overcrowding, long ED waits and the associated risk to patients an urgent priority. RCEM has made detailed recommendations on how this can be done, and is open to working with any policymaker to make them a reality.'

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Matthew Hopkins, director of The NHS Alliance's acute and ambulance network, said: ‘Hospitals are struggling with rising demand for urgent and emergency care.

‘The findings of this study highlight the impact and risk of overcrowding on the lives of patients.

‘These conditions are symptomatic of wider capacity pressures across health and social care.

‘The answer isn't simply about more beds or capacity. We need to improve the flow of patients through the system, including strengthening GP and community services to help prevent admissions, making best use of ambulance services and taking steps to ensure patients can be discharged from hospital promptly when they are ready to move on.'

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.'