Analysis suggests 500 Brits are dying every WEEK due to ambulance delays and A&E waits

As many as 500 people are dying every week in England because of the crisis in NHS emergency departments, according to analysis.

A&E performance has plummeted to its worst ever level over recent months with patients waiting up to 40 hours for a bed, while the sick are facing near-record waits for ambulances.

So far in 2022, there have been over 11,000 ‘excess deaths’ — the number of fatalities above the five-year average, which is a marker of how many are expected.

Excess deaths had been high for most of the pandemic because so many people were dying from Covid. 

But the trend shifted towards the end of 2021 when vaccines stifled the virus death rate. While Covid deaths have remained low, since June there have been around 1,000 more people dying every week in England and Wales than usual from unexplained causes.

It prompted some scientists to theorise it was down to the knock-on effects of lockdown restrictions and delays to hospital care worsening conditions like cancer, diabetes…