ACCORDING to a recently-published study, undertaken by researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Oxford University and Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, there was an excess of deaths during the winter months of 2015/2016 of 43,900.

The majority of deaths — 36,300 — were among people aged 75 years and over. This is the highest number since 1999/2000.

The conclusions of the researchers are that failures in the health and social care system are the most likely cause. The peak in deaths coincided with evidence of health system failures as follows:

Ambulance call-out times falling below target, including for life-threatening illnesses.

A and E waiting times increasing, despite unexceptional A and E attendances compared to the same months in previous years.

The researchers found that there had been a dramatic reduction of £16.7 billion in the welfare budget and further reductions on social care spending in England. There had been a 17% decrease in spending on older people since 2009.

I find these figures are shocking, particularly with regard to the care (or lack of it) being provided to older people - many of whom have worked hard all their lives and contributed to the system. We are supposed to be among the most wealthy nations in the world and yet we are failing to look after these people properly.

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