The NHS crisis is not an equal crisis

The NHS is in crisis.1 Primary care is creaking at the seams.2 More patients are on NHS waiting lists than ever before in England and Wales.34 Compared with August 2019, average waiting times have almost doubled, and the number of people waiting at least a year is around 300 times higher.3 As we head towards winter, another concern is a repeat of last year’s emergency care crisis.5 In December 2022, the average ambulance response time for category 2 calls (which include chest pain and suspected stroke) was 1 hour 32 minutes across England—more than five times the target of 18 minutes.6 The president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine estimated that there were 500 excess deaths a week last December because of delays in emergency care.7However, the NHS crisis is not an equal crisis. People from deprived communities are generally in poorer health, and therefore require more access to…
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