Depth of NHS crisis is revealed by coroners’ courts reports

NHS waiting times, staff shortages and service backlogs have been flagged as concerns in relation to dozens of patient deaths across England and Wales since the start of last year, the Observer can reveal, with coroners facing a succession of inquests concerning ambulance delays.

Coroners issue prevention of future deaths reports (PFDs) when they believe preventive action should be taken, and send them to relevant individuals or organisations, which are expected to respond.

Among 55 cases identified by the Observer are 24 patient deaths where coroners raised concerns about ambulance delays – all of them occurring before this winter’s ambulance crisis, when response times rocketed to their worst-ever levels.

Wes Streeting, shadow health and social care secretary, said: “The NHS is in the biggest crisis in its history – and the crisis has a cost in lives. Patients are waiting for far longer than is safe, with terrible consequences.”

But the issues highlighted by coroners in relation to patient deaths are wider than ambulance delays. They include: lengthy elective surgery backlogs; high referral thresholds and long waiting times for children’s mental health services; a national shortage of neurologists; long waiting times for psychological therapies; a lack of mental health beds and unfilled mental health staff vacancies; and a shortage of cardiologists compounded by a shortage of theatre capacity and beds.

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Source: The Guardian, 26 February 2023

Further reading on the hub - see a selection of Prevention of Future Deaths reports in our dedicated coroner's report section of the hub.