NHS Crisis Causing Continued Higher-Than-Normal Levels of Death

The Guardian ^ | Thu 9 Mar 2023 | Carmen Aguilar García and Michael Goodier

[nickcarraway]

Deaths in England and Wales have remained above average post-Covid lockdowns, with NHS delays likely to ‘have had substantial impact’

The crisis in the NHS is leading to continued higher-than-usual death levels in England and Wales, experts have said.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics reveal that almost 170,000 more people than normal died in England and Wales between March 2020, when coronavirus was declared a pandemic, and the end of 2022 – 11% higher than the five-year average.

However, the new data also shows that the number of excess deaths has continued, even as the virus’s fatality rate has declined thanks to vaccinations and weaker strains, with 90% of the excess deaths in 2022 occurring in the second half of the year, coinciding with recent NHS pressures and the impact of a cold winter.

Prof David Spiegelhalter of Cambridge University said that “analyses have suggested that delays in ambulance arrivals and in A&E will have had a substantial impact, as well as the cold weather and the early flu season”.

Last year saw almost 34,000 more deaths than expected – an increase of 6% above the five-year average level.

Only a quarter of these excess deaths were due to Covid, while there was a 41% increase in excess deaths due to accidental falls between June and October 2022, “where delays in treatment and admission may have played a role”, Spiegelhalter added.

December last year saw a particularly high number of excess deaths not related to Covid, with a 25% increase in the number of deaths due to influenza and pneumonia (598 additional deaths) when compared to normal, a 10% increase in ischaemic heart disease deaths (454) and a 39% rise in deaths due to cardiac arrhythmias (244).

[ClearCase_guy]

Last year saw almost 34,000 more deaths than expected – an increase of 6% above the five-year average level.

Due to falls and slow ambulances.

Yeah. Go with that.

[Republican Wildcat]

Socialized medicine at its finest.

[HollyB]

I’ve been a moderator on a cancer page for about 7 years. It’s international with only about 10k members at the moment. But, I’ve been able to see/follow how cancer treatments are handled and It’s only validated my views on socialized medicine. (This isn’t the purpose of the page. Nor are people complaining about it. It’s just something I’ve observed over time).