This is a damning indictment of the current state of our NHS. Hospitals are struggling to provide an adequate level of service, with top medical professionals blaming ‘insufficient funding’ on these shocking new figures.
New figures show alarming number of deaths caused by long waiting times
Data released by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) states that roughly 268 people EACH WEEK died as a result of long waiting times in A&E departments across the country in 2023 – with critically ill patients waiting over 12 hours for treatment.
The study also concluded that there was one excess death for every 72 patients who spent 8-12 hours in A&E – tying just under 14,000 deaths to delays in care. RCEM President, Dr Adrian Boyle, believes chronic ‘under-resourcing’ has caused this crisis.
“Lack of hospital capacity means that patients are staying in longer than necessary and continue to be cared for by emergency department staff, often in clinically inappropriate areas such as corridors or ambulances.”
“The direct correlation between delays and mortality rates is clear. Patients are being subjected to avoidable harm. Patients and staff should not bear the consequences of insufficient funding and under-resourcing.” | Dr Adrian Boyle
NHS crisis: Professionals slam government for ‘negligence’
Boyle’s assessment is a damaging one for the Conservative Party, who have been accused of failing the NHS throughout the last 14 years governing the country. He’s not the only medical professional lashing out at the government, either.
Rachel Clarke, the doctor at the centre of the ITV series Breathtaking, says that the governing party have made the NHS ‘a broken shell’ compared to what it was before they came back into power. She certainly didn’t mince her words.
“14,000 People died last year who needn’t have. It doesn’t have to be like this. It didn’t use to be like this. I have been a doctor for 15 years and lived under successive Tory governments. They have savaged the NHS into a broken shell.” | Dr Rachel Clarke
Dr David Wrigley, the Deputy Chair of the BMA’s GP Committee, pointed to ‘gross failures of political leaders’ for putting the NHS under such strain. He is also demanding an increase in hospital beds, doctors, and nurses to help address the crisis.
“This is a gross failure of our political leaders. Over 250 patients a week die needlessly due to lack of beds, lack of hospital doctors and GPs, and lack of nurses. On top of this, staff are being treated poorly by NHS bosses.” | Dr David Wrigley