Stormont Urged to Address Catastrophic Emergency Department Waits and Rising Deaths
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) has urgently called on Northern Ireland’s Stormont Executive to address the crisis in hospital emergency departments, describing it as a catastrophe. A new report reveals that estimated deaths linked to long waiting times doubled over five years, reaching 1,032 excess deaths in 2025. Although this figure is slightly lower than in 2024, it remains significantly higher than the 461 recorded in 2020. The RCEM emphasizes that overcrowding is not driven by increased patient demand, which has remained stable, but by systemic failures. In 2025, one in twelve patients waited over 24 hours, with some waits exceeding three days. Dr. Michael Perry, RCEM Northern Ireland vice president, criticized the glacial pace of progress and urged policymakers to treat avoidable deaths with the same seriousness as other medical specialties. The report recommends ending corridor care, implementing a whole-system approach to patient flow, and establishing clear accountability. While the Department of Health acknowledged the pressures, it cited complex demand management as the long-term solution. The situation highlights Northern Ireland having the highest rates of ED wait-related deaths per capita in the UK.
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Stormont Urged to Address Catastrophic Emergency Department Waits and Rising Deaths
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) has urgently called on Northern Ireland’s Stormont Executive to address the crisis in hospital emergency departments, describing it as a catastrophe. A new report reveals that estimated deaths linked to long waiting times doubled over five years, reaching 1,032 excess deaths in 2025. Although this figure is slightly lower than in 2024, it remains significantly higher than the 461 recorded in 2020. The RCEM emphasizes that overcrowding is not driven by increased patient demand, which has remained stable, but by systemic failures. In 2025, one in twelve patients waited over 24 hours, with some waits exceeding three days. Dr. Michael Perry, RCEM Northern Ireland vice president, criticized the glacial pace of progress and urged policymakers to treat avoidable deaths with the same seriousness as other medical specialties. The report recommends ending corridor care, implementing a whole-system approach to patient flow, and establishing clear accountability. While the Department of Health acknowledged the pressures, it cited complex demand management as the long-term solution. The situation highlights Northern Ireland having the highest rates of ED wait-related deaths per capita in the UK.
The Standard