Top doctor warns deaths will rise this winter after A&E target left off Labour milestones

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. However, the prime minister’s failure to commit to other NHS standards such as having 95 per cent of patients seen within four hours in A&E has drawn criticism from health leaders. open image in gallery Keir Starmer outlined six milestones he hopes to achieve “If A&E pressures aren’t managed properly, then beds will be taken up with emergency cases and elective care will be cancelled. “To protect A&Es this winter, we have ended the resident doctors’ strikes, so NHS staff will be on the front line not the picket line for the first winter in three years and have vaccinated nearly 27 million people against flu, Covid and RSV so far to keep them healthy and out of hospital.” Dr Boyle’s warning came after figures yesterday showed NHS hospitals were busier than ever, with “no spare beds” heading into December as flu cases were up four-fold on last year. open image in gallery A top emergency doctor has warned of a rise in patient deaths this winter NHS England also warned there were record numbers of patients in hospital last week, with 96,587 beds occupied each day.