A LABOUR MP has called for an independent inquiry after it was found 57 patients had died after the East of England Ambulance Sevice had downgraded 999 calls.

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham told the House of Commons that 57 people died after having their 999 calls downgraded leading ambulances to either arrive late at the scene or not turning up at all.

However, the East of England Ambulance Service have released a statement saying 44 of the patients were under a "do not resuscitate" order and 13 were what they called "expected deaths". 

Mr Burnham called for a full independent investigation into the practice, with the downgrading having taken place without being signed off by senior management.

It took place between December 2013 and February last year.

Mr Burnham said: "While focus has been on A&E it is becoming clear that the knock on crisis in the ambulance service is more serious than people realised.

"Evidence is emerging of services unilaterally abandoning national standards and putting patients at risk.

"We know of one ambulance service leaving patients at the door of A&E without handing over to A&E staff.

"But last night East of England ambulance service was forced to release an internal report on the downgrading of thousands of 999 calls, including calls made by terminally ill patients.

"The report covered only a sample but that showed at least 57 of those patients died after a decision was taken not to send an ambulance.

"Withholding ambulances from terminally ill people is the most cruel form of rationing imaginable.

"Will you today order a full independent investigation into how this happened and into every death or adverse incident?"

Health secretary, Jeremy Hunt replied: "We do investigate deaths and adverse incidents very carefully and the East of England ambulance service has got £3.6 million of extra support to help them this winter.

"But let's look at the facts of what's happening in the ambulance service because year on year if you look at the most serious category A calls, the calls that need to be answered within eight minutes, they have increased by 26 per cent over one year.

"And the number of ambulances despatched within eight minutes has increased by 22 per cent, that's 1,900 extra ambulance journeys arriving within eight minutes.

"That is a record of an ambulance service doing very well under a lot of pressure and I just say to you you should be getting behind the paramedics and the ambulance services and not trying to politicise the issue."

Trust chief executive Anthony Marsh claimed "no harm was caused to patients" as a result of the downgrading when the issue was first reported last week.

A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service said: "The review instigated by the CEO has shown these changes should not have been made and they were stopped quickly as soon as they were identified.

"The intention was to ensure these cases received a call-back from a clinical coordinator in the control room; the clinical coordinators ensure that the most appropriate level of care is organised for the patient, dependant on their need, e.g. provide advice over the phone, or help organise other care pathways like a community or Macmillan nurse or, in emergency cases, send an ambulance.

"Our paramedics cannot give treatment to those patients with a DNR or provide the support that their family needs and deserves at this difficult time.

"Sending an ambulance when we cannot clinically help the patient can extend the family’s distress unnecessarily.

"The clinical coordinators can start the process of organising the help that’s needed, perhaps a district or Macmillan nurse for example, more quickly."

Read the full report in tomorrow's paper.