There is strong evidence that in 2022, delays in Northern Ireland’s emergency departments led to the premature deaths of 1,434 people.
Research shows that longer waits in A&E lead to more patient deaths in the 30 days after that hospital visit. By combining those research findings with NI’s waiting time figures, it is possible to make some estimates about the number of additional deaths resulting from longer waits. FactCheckNI’s own calculations led to similar results as those published by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine.