You are a thousand times more likely to be killed by Tory Government cuts than by terrorists
There were 30,000 excess deaths in 2015, representing the largest increase in deaths in the post-war period, which included a large spike in January that year. Researchers exploring why concluded that failures in the health and social care system linked to disinvestment are likely to be the main cause.
#VotingToryKills #ToryAusterity: There were 30,000 excess deaths in 2015, representing the largest increase in deaths in…
Posted by Stop The Tories Channel on Monday, October 9, 2017
In the 18-year period between 2000 and 2017, 127 people died as a result of UK terror atrocities. 36 people have died this year, in the attacks on Westminster, Manchester Arena, London Bridge and Finsbury Park.
After ruling out data errors, cold weather and flu as main causes for the spike, the researchers found that NHS performance data revealed clear evidence of health system failures. Almost all targets were missed including ambulance call-out times and A&E waiting times, despite unexceptional A&E attendances compared to the same month in previous years. Staff absence rates rose and more posts remained empty as staff had not been appointed.
The researchers say that there are already worrying signs of an increase in mortality in 2016. Without urgent intervention, they say, there must be concern that this trend will continue.
Co-author Professor Martin McKee, from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, added: ‘The impact of cuts resulting from the imposition of austerity on the NHS has been profound. Expenditure has failed to keep pace with demand and the situation has been exacerbated by dramatic reductions in the welfare budget of £16.7 billion and in social care spending. With an aging population, the NHS is ever more dependent on a well-functioning social care system.”
Sources:
- Oxford University, 20 Feb 2017, “30,000 excess deaths in 2015 linked to cuts in health and social care“
- Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 2017, “What caused the spike in mortality in England and Wales in January 2015?” (authors: Dr Lucinda Hiam, Professor Danny Dorling, Dominic Harrison and Professor Martin McKee)
- Daily Telegraph, 5 Oct 2017, “How many people are killed by terrorist attacks in the UK?“