Death risk doubles for patients stuck in A&E for 12 hours

PATIENTS who spend 12 hours in accident and emergency departments are twice as likely to die within 30 days of being discharged as those who are there for two hours or under, figures show. An Office for National Statistics report examined the impact of hospital delays in 2021-22.

- Hanna Geissler

Risk of death within a month after discharge was 2.1 times higher for patients who spent 12 hours or more in A&E before being admitted or sent home, compared with those who spent two hours or less.

It rose by 1.9 times for those spending nine hours, 1.6 for six hours, and 1.1 for three hours. The analysis included patients classified as "very urgent, urgent, standard or low" but not those with "potentially life-threatening, critical conditions".