Labor said more than 23,000 patients died in emergency departments last year
More than 23,000 people died in emergency departments in England in record wait times in 2022, Labor says.
Figures obtained by the party through freedom of information requests showed that there were 4,000 more deaths in emergency rooms last year than in 2021 and 5,500 more than in 2019.
Around 113,000 patients waited longer than the four-hour target in April, while 27,000 patients were held for longer than 12 hours – with the opposition blaming “Tory failure” in dealing with the mounting pressures facing the health service.
The Conservatives’ 13-year failure to adequately staff or reform the NHS has cost lives
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine has previously said there could have been 23,000 “more patient deaths” in England in 2022, partly due to delays in emergency departments.
It warned that long waits could have “catastrophic consequences for patient safety and mortality.”
Data provided to Labor by NHS trusts appears to confirm that a total of 23,316 people have lost their lives in emergency departments – up from 19,122 in 2021 and 17,502 in 2019.
Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “People who contact the NHS in an emergency should know that they will be examined and treated before it is too late.” That the Conservatives have failed for 13 years Properly staffing or reforming the NHS has cost lives.
“The last time Labor was in government patients in emergencies were treated in a timely manner.
“It took the Conservatives 13 years to break the NHS, it can’t be fixed overnight. But it will be the job of the next Labor government to build an NHS that is there for you when you need it again.”
dr Adrian Boyle, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said the figures were shocking and worrying and the system was clearly not working as it should.
“It is reassuring to see that Labor is committed to tackling waiting times and we urge all other parties to do the same. and to embed that commitment in their forthcoming manifestos,” he said.
The Conservatives responded with counter-reproaches about Labour’s own record of meeting waiting targets. Health Secretary Maria Caulfield said: “The uncomfortable truth is that where Labor is in power, the NHS is worse off.”
“In Wales, since its inception 14 years ago, Labor has consistently missed waiting targets and caused higher death rates than in England.
“Meanwhile, we’re conducting a record number of tests, accelerating hospital discharges and reducing waiting lists, all while working to halve inflation, boost the economy, reduce debt and halt the boats.”
Health Secretary Steve Barclay acknowledged in January that the pre-pandemic four-hour target set in the NHS Constitution Handbook was no longer achievable.
As part of its efforts to improve emergency and emergency care, the government has set the less ambitious interim target of having 76% of emergency room patients treated within four hours by March 2024.
Currently around 70% is seen during this time and the official target is 95%.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/labour-nhs-a-e-england-wes-streeting-b1082494.html Labor said more than 23,000 patients died in emergency departments last year
