Thread by @ShaunLintern

The crisis engulfing the NHS is getting worse - in July 40k patients delayed in ambulances outside A&E were harmed — enough to fill the O2 Arena in London twice over.

@tomhcalver and I look at links between the evolving disaster and rising deaths 1/9
thetimes.co.uk/article/6311fc…

On average, every day in July the equivalent of the entire London Ambulance Service and South Coast Ambulance Service response to 999 calls was lost due to paramedics stuck outside overcrowded A&Es - 4,916 hours lost every day. 2/9

Since the start of May, about 7,400 more people have died of non-Covid reasons than would be expected. The increase has been highest in southwest England, where ambulance delays are also the worst handover delays of any region. 3/9

During July there were record levels of life-threatening 999 calls...but the slowest answering times on record. 47k people waited longer than 4 minutes for their 999 call to be answered...and eternity in a real emergency 4/9

"It would be reasonable to assume the long delays that patients are subjected to waiting for ambulances at the moment will filter through into excess mortality" says @RCEM_VP 5/9

In recent months Coroners have been highlighting deaths as a result of A&E delays. Michael Wysockyj, 66, Bina Patel, 56, Kenneth Shadbolt, 94; David Patric, 73; Jacqueline Hulbert, 78: the list of patients who have died in the past year waiting hours for help goes on 6/9

But transparency over coroner deaths is lacking - The Sunday Times has learned publication of 'prevention of future death' reports has been quietly suspended by @MoJGovUK since May. A new website is blamed but publication is not expected to start til later in the autumn 7/9

The NHS is planning to beef up 999 & 111 staff + open extra beds this winter. But @RCEM_VP says plans so far are “underwhelming”. He said the NHS had for years failed to plan for winter: “It’s a predictable event, & it shouldn’t take us by surprise every single year" 8/9

Read the full story by @tomhcalver and me in The Sunday Times here: thetimes.co.uk/article/6311fc… @thetimes