South Devon MPs warn government is “asleep at the wheel” after over 800 12-hour waits recorded in Torbay and South Devon A&Es last month

South Devon MPs warn government is “asleep at the wheel” after over 800 12-hour waits recorded in Torbay and South Devon A&Es last month

South Devon MPs, Caroline Voaden, Steve Darling, and Martin Wrigley have accused the government of being “asleep at the wheel” after the latest NHS figures showed there were 820 waits of 12 hours or longer in Torbay and South Devon A&Es last month.

The shocking figures also showed that a staggering 12% of waits for people in South Devon who attended A&E in December were 12 hours or longer from the time they arrived.

These figures come only a week after all of Devon’s hospitals declared critical incidents amid a perfect storm of demand.

Reacting to the figures, all three South Devon MPs have called on the Health Secretary to come forward with an emergency plan to rescue local health services from this crisis and protect patients suffering from these long and dangerous delays.

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) has previously said that long waits in A&E are estimated to have contributed to 14,000 deaths in 2023.

Caroline Voaden, MP for South Devon, said:

“There is no such thing as a winter crisis in the NHS anymore. What our health service faces is an annual, rolling crisis, borne out from years of chronic underfunding. Scenes of patients waiting in corridors and stories of 12-hour waits have become normalised when they are anything but. Our NHS faces a perfect storm of demand – and urgent action is needed now to relieve pressure and protect patients.”

Steve Darling, MP for Torbay, said:

"These shocking statistics serve to remind us that the government must release previously pledged funds for upgrades and repairs to Torbay Hospital. If they don't, they will be making the same mistake as their Conservative predecessors who broke their promise to give the hospital the funding it so desperately needs."

Martin Wrigley, MP for Newton Abbot, said:

“It is a scandal that these dangerous delays have become normalised here in Newton Abbot. A&Es in our area are at breaking point after years of the previous Conservative government’s shameful neglect and patients are paying the price."