DEATHS AT A&E DOUBLE DURING WINTER 'CRISIS'

DERRIFORD HOSPITAL HARD HIT

- DAVID DUBAS-FISHER , KATIE TIMMS

THE winter NHS crisis saw the number of A&E deaths more than double in Plymouth compared to the historic average, an exclusive investigation has found.

Accident and Emergency wards were at breaking point in December 2022.

Nationally, a record low of just 65% of patients were seen within four hours of arrival, compared to the target of 95%.

Meanwhile, a record high of 54,532 patients had to wait over 12 hours for admission. A new investigation from the Reach Data Unit can now reveal that there was a huge rise in the number of deaths in A&E while this crisis was underway.

Freedom of Information requests were sent to every NHS trust in England asking for the number of people to have died in their A&E departments each month, with 84 trusts providing figures.