120 patients a day die before the 999 crews get to them

43,758 cases in 2022 with 4,324 in December, a rise of 19%

MORE than 43,000 people were declared dead by the time an ambulance got to them last year, shocking figures reveal.

As delays hit services, the number of patients who died before paramedics reached them hit an average of 120 a day.

In December alone, 4,324 people were declared dead on arrival by ambulance services.

That is a rise of 19% on the same month in the previous year.

In total, 43,758 people were pronounced dead when an ambulance reached them last year.

Government sources last night insisted there was no evidence the deaths, which may have been caused by a number of reasons, were a result of ambulance delays. The North West recorded 8,450 patients as dead on arrival in 2022, more than any other region.

South East Coast Ambulance Service recorded 1,022 in December, up 34% on the previous year.

Lib Dem MP Wera Hobhouse, who obtained the Freedom of Information data, said: “These figures are truly shocking. Paramedics work extremely hard to save lives but are let down by a Conservative Government starving the NHS of the resources it needs.

“The consequences are real and deadly. Chronic staff shortages in

The Tory Government is starving the NHS of resources it needs WERA HOBHOUSE LIB DEM MP

social care mean we cannot move people out of hospital beds, leaving desperate patients stuck in queuing ambulances. Ambulances that are unavailable to go and help other patients in need.”

Ms Hobhouse called for “urgent action now” to tackle staff shortages in social care, which would reduce pressure on hospitals and 999 services.

She said: “The Liberal Democrats would fix this with a carer’s living wage. “This would help recruit and retain staff, ensuring there is proper capacity in our care system.”

Paramedics have told of how ambulance delays mean they arrive to find dead patients.

Hard-pressed 999 workers say they are routinely confronted by angry relatives demanding to know why they lost their loved ones.

Ambulance response times in England were the worst ever in December. The average wait for people with a stroke, severe burns or chest pain was 93 minutes – five times the target of 18 minutes.

The Department of Health called the figures “misleading”, adding: “The data does not show a link between deaths and ambulance waiting times, and numbers have not significantly changed over a three-year period. We are improving ambulance waiting times.”

EACH day 120 people on average die before an ambulance can reach them.

Many of these lives could have been saved if we had an NHS that was fit for purpose.

But under the Tory Government, emergency response times have hit a record high.

The average time for an ambulance to arrive for someone suffering stroke, severe burns or chest pain is now 93 minutes. This is five times longer than the target of 18 minutes.

The blame cannot be laid at the door of paramedics, who provide the best possible service under increasingly stressful conditions.

The responsibility lies with a Government that has failed to invest in the NHS.

The delays are caused by cuts to mental health services and preventative care.

They are the result of a lack of hospital beds, which has had a knock-on impact on ambulance handover times and response times.

And they are the consequence of the low pay and morale that has caused one in 10 paramedics to leave the profession in the last year.

Don’t blame the NHS, blame the Tories.