More than 150 people died while on NHS wait list last year

New data uncovered by Freedom of Information (FOI) requests made by Labour shows that last year 154 patients died whilst waiting in Warrington and Halton.

Of the 154 who died, 48 had been waiting longer than the NHS treatment target of 18 weeks.

Weaver Vale Labour MP Mike Amesbury said: “I feel sad for the patients who passed away while waiting for treatment that never arrived, as well as their devastated loved ones.

Mike Amesbury, who has hit out at the government over NHS waiting times (Image: Mike Amesbury)

“We don’t know individual circumstances but across the country waiting lists are going in the wrong direction, with the concern many of these deaths could have been prevented if the NHS was properly resourced.”

The Government, however, have hit back against these claims, calling them ‘misleading’.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said that the data does not demonstrate a direct link between the deaths and the fact patients were waiting for treatment.

They pointed to high overall waiting list numbers as a result of the pandemic and claim that it is therefore not unexpected that the number of deaths would be higher compared to previous years.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (centre) and Health and Social Care Secretary, Steve Barclay, with the Chief Executive of NHS England, Amanda Pritchard, as they host a roundtable meeting in 10 Downing Street (Image: PA)

The spokesperson said: “These findings are misleading. This data is based upon a small sample size and it’s wrong to suggest this reflects the picture across the Health Service. Figures should not be compared year on year, as there are more people on waiting lists overall now because of the pandemic.

“Cutting waiting lists is one of this government’s top five priorities and despite pressures from industrial action affecting patient care, we have virtually eliminated 18-month waits and are taking immediate action to bring down waits of over a year.

“We are going further to use the independent sector so patients can be treated more quickly - there are currently 119 open community diagnostic centres and 93 surgical hubs helping to deliver thousands more checks, scans and operations.”  

Mr Amesbury, whose party received 35 FOI responses after emailing all 138 hospital trusts, also said: “I’m certainly not pointing the finger of blame at local NHS leaders, doctors and nurses who do a Sterling job in a very challenging environment. This is the result of 13 years of underfunding.

“Rishi Sunak promised to cut NHS waiting lists, but there are 600,000 more patients waiting for NHS care today than when he became Prime Minister.”

Mike Amesbury also called out promises made by Rishi Sunak to cut NHS wait times

Labour estimates around 121,000 people died while still waiting for NHS care in England last year, double the number who died on waiting lists in 2017/18 when the figure stood at around 60,000.

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said: “The basic promise of the NHS - that it will be there for us when we need it – has been broken. The longer the Conservatives are in office, the longer patients will wait.

“Only Labour can rescue the NHS from this crisis and restore it to good health. We will train the staff needed to treat patients on time again, and reform the service to make it fit for the future.”