Staffing Shortages in Medical Sector Lead to 50 Daily Deaths in England, Reports The Times
Health Secretary Wes Streeting expressed his feelings of "ashamed" regarding the prolonged wait times in English hospitals, which have been worsened by a flu epidemic, earlier this week. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Health Secretary Wes Streeting expressed his “ashamed” feelings regarding the long wait times in hospitals, which have been worsened by a flu epidemic.
The Times has reported that long waits in emergency wards across England resulted in an average of 50 excess deaths each day in December 2024. This ongoing crisis has intensified due to a seasonal flu outbreak, prompting several hospitals to declare “critical incidents” amidst “exceptionally high demand” within the last week.
For years, England's National Health Service has struggled with severe staffing shortages, with approximately 170,000 employees leaving their positions throughout 2022.
In a Friday article, The Times indicated that “excess deaths due to delays rose to about 16,000 last year,” which it translates into “an estimated 50 excess deaths a day.” The newspaper employed the same methodology as last year’s analysis conducted by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine.
The report highlighted that official data showed one in eight patients waited more than 12 hours in A&E last month, and this ratio worsened in 2024 when compared to the previous year.
The publication quoted Tim Cooksley of the Society for Acute Medicine, who described situations where there are “corridors full of patients experiencing degrading care, being treated in the backs of ambulances because there is simply no space in hospital.”
During an interview with LBC on Tuesday, Health Secretary Wes Streeting shared that he felt “genuinely distressed and ashamed about some of the things that patients are experiencing,” especially in light of reports of 50-hour-long waits in certain emergency rooms. He vowed to tackle the crisis.
On the previous day, Prime Minister Keir Starmer made a similar commitment, attributing the issues to the previous Conservative government. He recognized that hospital waiting lists had been “ballooning even before Covid.”
The NHS's challenges can be traced back to at least 2010, when the Conservative leadership limited its budget. Since then, the healthcare system in England has been losing staff at an alarming rate, with “workplace pressures,” burnout, and low pay cited as contributing factors. Furthermore, the Covid-19 pandemic has exerted additional pressure on an already understaffed NHS.
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
The Times has reported that long waits in emergency wards across England resulted in an average of 50 excess deaths each day in December 2024. This ongoing crisis has intensified due to a seasonal flu outbreak, prompting several hospitals to declare “critical incidents” amidst “exceptionally high demand” within the last week.
For years, England's National Health Service has struggled with severe staffing shortages, with approximately 170,000 employees leaving their positions throughout 2022.
In a Friday article, The Times indicated that “excess deaths due to delays rose to about 16,000 last year,” which it translates into “an estimated 50 excess deaths a day.” The newspaper employed the same methodology as last year’s analysis conducted by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine.
The report highlighted that official data showed one in eight patients waited more than 12 hours in A&E last month, and this ratio worsened in 2024 when compared to the previous year.
The publication quoted Tim Cooksley of the Society for Acute Medicine, who described situations where there are “corridors full of patients experiencing degrading care, being treated in the backs of ambulances because there is simply no space in hospital.”
During an interview with LBC on Tuesday, Health Secretary Wes Streeting shared that he felt “genuinely distressed and ashamed about some of the things that patients are experiencing,” especially in light of reports of 50-hour-long waits in certain emergency rooms. He vowed to tackle the crisis.
On the previous day, Prime Minister Keir Starmer made a similar commitment, attributing the issues to the previous Conservative government. He recognized that hospital waiting lists had been “ballooning even before Covid.”
The NHS's challenges can be traced back to at least 2010, when the Conservative leadership limited its budget. Since then, the healthcare system in England has been losing staff at an alarming rate, with “workplace pressures,” burnout, and low pay cited as contributing factors. Furthermore, the Covid-19 pandemic has exerted additional pressure on an already understaffed NHS.
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
