Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the November 2021 Royal College of Emergency Medicine Acute Insight Series, Crowding and its Consequences, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the estimate published in that report that there were at least 4519 excess deaths caused by crowding in accident and emergency departments in 2020-21; and if he will make a statement.

No such assessment has been made.

NHS England and NHS Improvement led detailed operational level winter planning with providers, regions and stakeholders and set out actions to support improved emergency care performance and patient flow through hospitals, supported by £5.4 billion of additional funding. This includes a new Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery Unit to coordinate support for the most challenged systems and £478 million for the enhanced patient discharge programme, to increase bed capacity and reduce crowding in accident and emergency departments.