More than 870 deaths 'linked to long A&E waits' in Scotland
Warning thar A&E crisis is costing hundreds of lives
More than 870 patients died while enduring lengthy waits for admission to accident and emergency departments across Scotland last year, according to the Scottish Liberal Democrats, who warned that the crisis facing the NHS was costing people their lives.
Warning that the conditions facing staff and patients was “utterly terrifying,” the party said the estimated death toll underlined the need for sweeping changes to the “broken” social care system, allowing A&E departments to better cope with demand.
Alex Cole-Hamilton, the Scottish Lib Dem leader, pointed to Public Health Scotland data which showed that 62,749 people waited before than 12 hours before being admitted to A&E in 2025, and said the figure contrasted “sharply” with the situation when the SNP first came to power in 2008, when just 465 endured such a wait.
The party worked out the estimated death toll of 871 using a calculation based on what is known as the standard mortality ratio, which assumes that there will be one additional death for every 72 patients forced to wait eight to 12 hours before admission to a ward.
Based on previous analysis by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM), the estimated number of such deaths has been increasing in recent years. The RCEM said there were an estimated 818 associated excess deaths in 2024, and 616 the previous year.
Mr Cole-Hamilton said the situation made clear the need for significant changes to Scotland’s NHS and the wider health and social care system.
“After nineteen years of an SNP government, the A&E crisis is costing hundreds of people their lives,” he said. “The conditions facing staff and patients are utterly terrifying; we cannot afford to go on like this.
“The only way to bring down catastrophic A&E waits and stop people dying is to fix the broken social care system. Hospitals are full of people who can’t leave, despite being medically ready, because there are not enough care packages and care workers to get them home. This, in turn, means fewer beds and longer waits for new patients arriving at A&Es.”
Mr Cole-Hamilton said his party had a “realistic plan” to increase the wages of care workers and attract more people into the profession, which would in turn free up “essential” space in A&E departments.
Dr Fiona Hunter, vice president for Scotland at the RCEM, said the word “heartbreaking” did not begin to describe the estimated death total.
“Each of these 871 people may have had families and friends who would have had to face the devastating reality that their loved one died not because they were too sick to treat, but because our hospitals don’t have the capacity to look after them properly,” she explained.
She added: “Almost 900 people may have paid the ultimate price for this complete breakdown in hospital flow. Whoever forms the next government cannot ignore this problem. The numbers speak for themselves: more people will die, who otherwise would go home to their families, if overcrowding and long waits in emergency departments aren’t fixed.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Excessively long waits are not acceptable and we apologise to all patients who have waited too long to receive treatment, however, we do not recognise the figures cited. “This situation is not unique to Scotland with all other UK nations experiencing similar pressures.
“We are working closely with NHS boards to improve patient flow, reduce waiting times for emergency care and diagnostic tests and ensure they have the support needed to manage peaks in demand.”
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