Emergency package needed for NHS to 'weather winter agony', says MP

A SUMMER surge in A&E demand has prompted North Devon's MP to call for emergency measures ahead of winter, warning the NHS has slipped into a year-round “permacrisis”.

- by LEWIS CLARKE

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust recorded 28,901 A&E attendances across June and July, up from 17,763 a decade ago, while 221 patients faced waits of 12 hours or more from decision-to-admit to admission during the same summer period. Such “trolley waits” represent a stark shift from summer 2015, when none were recorded.

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine has previously linked 16,600 deaths in 2024 to long A&E waits before admission, underlining the risks posed by prolonged delays.