Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on (a) excess deaths and (b) ambulance waiting times in (i) York Ambulance Service and (ii) England in the last 12 months.

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities has reported on excess mortality throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In the year to 24 February 2023, there were 45,232 excess deaths in England. Excess deaths are not reported by ambulance service region.

Tables showing the ambulance response times against the national standards in the last 12 months by the Yorkshire Ambulance Service and in England are attached.

The information requested on serious incidents in ambulance trusts across the last 12 months is shown in the attached table.

No such estimate of excess deaths attributed to long ambulance waiting times has been made. There are a wide variety of factors contributing to excess deaths. It is likely that a combination of factors has contributed to excess deaths over the last 12 months, including high flu prevalence, cold weather, the ongoing challenges of COVID-19 and health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.

The number of deaths in ambulances waiting outside hospitals is not collected centrally.