title: Emergency care.
abstract: 'Exit block' describes situations when hospital staff cannot move patients out of emergency departments (EDs) into inpatient beds. According to the College of Emergency Medicine, it affects around half a million patients a year. To help managers and clinicians reduce crowding in their EDs, the college has produced a guideline that explains the causes and consequences of crowding and suggests ways of reducing the effects and improving safety in EDs. Crowding in Emergency Departments can be accessed online at tinyurl.com/exit-block NHS England and Monitor have endorsed the resource in their winter planning guidance.