Excess Deaths Soaring Despite COVID Deaths Decreasing
The NHS is “stuck in a permanent winter”
Excess deaths are still soaring in England and Wales despite COVID deaths decreasing for the fourth week in a row, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
10,942 people were recorded to have died in the week to 26th August 2022, which is a 16.6% rise above the five-year average.
Stuart McDonald, from the COVID-19 Actuaries’ Response Group, has said that the NHS is “stuck in a permanent winter”.
He added that “a concerning feature of the observed mortality over the last 12 months is the deviation from the usual seasonal pattern seen in the UK”.
COVID-related deaths are dropping
This comes at a time when COVID-related deaths are dropping. They are at the lowest level since July 2022 – with 453 deaths recorded for seven days up to August 26, according to the ONS.
There is also mounting pressure on the NHS and delays in treatment could lead to excess deaths.
McDonald has said that there were 5,300 deaths in the last 10 weeks with COVID stated on the death certificate. COVID was the underlying and direct cause for 3,400 out of 5,300 deaths.
He then added: “Since COVID does not explain all the recent excess we need to look at other causes.”
High rates of heart failure-related deaths
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) have released data that shows that the most significant cause of excess deaths was heart failure related.
Figures from 11 June to 19 August show that 13,155 heart failure deaths were recorded and of these, 2,543 were excess deaths.
McDonald explained that the rise in these deaths could be caused by COVID-19-related issues, delays in people getting urgent treatment, and missed or delayed diagnosis due to the pandemic.
He suggests that “urgent work is needed to fully understand the root cause of the issues and take steps to resolve them to minimise long-term harm to the nation’s health”.
If your treatment has been delayed or your condition has been misdiagnosed, then our highly experienced medical negligence solicitors may be able to help you.
Make an NHS and GP negligence claim today by giving us a call, starting your claim online, or requesting a call back.
