Crisis in A&E departments drives 15,000 deaths

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The crisis in Britain’s A&E departments has been linked to more than 15,000 deaths in 18 months, with as many as 500 patients a week dying because of long waits for emergency care. It required political will and leadership to tackle the problem.” LCP Health Analytics looked at the NHS data alongside Office for National Statistics figures for excess deaths – that is, deaths over and above what would be expected for the time of year. The data shows a marked deterioration after April 2021 Mr McDonald, who is head of longevity and demographic insights at LCP Health Analytics, said: “The NHS has been facing extraordinary pressure for a prolonged period, and this can be seen in measures such as ambulance response times and A&E waiting times, which are significantly worse than seasonal norms. Our analysis shows how these pressures are leading directly to hundreds of additional deaths each week, with little chance of the situation improving over the winter months.” The potential link between the crisis in emergency care and excess deaths was previously analysed by the Financial Times.