THE East of England Ambulance Service will be the subject of a “risk summit” following allegations of patient deaths due to delays.

Health minister Steve Barclay told the House of Commons that claims against the trust have been raised with senior NHS officials, including NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens, and the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

He said NHS England and NHS Improvement, with the CQC in attendance, will meet to discuss and review information about the concerns.

It comes after Labour MP Clive Lewis told the Commons he was contacted by a whistleblower who claimed 20 people died due to delayed ambulances during a 12 day period this winter.

The whistleblower blamed the deaths on a decision at the trust to delay moving into its highest state of emergency.

Speaking during a Commons debate, Liberal Democrat former health minister Norman Lamb encouraged Mr Barclay to reiterate that ambulance trust managers should allow staff to speak out when they have “genuine and legitimate” concerns.

Mr Barclay supported such a remark and later referred to the East of England Ambulance Service Trust, adding to Mr Lamb: “On receipt of his letter I instructed officials in my department to share copies with the Care Quality Commission to ensure they’re fully aware of the issues being raised.

“I’ve discussed these concerning allegations directly with the chief executive of NHS England and the chief executive of NHS Improvement this morning, and asked them to confirm to me the actions they will be taking.

“They have subsequently confirmed they will be holding a joint risk summit regarding the trust in the next week – the CQC will be in attendance.”

A spokesman for the ambulance trust last week said it recognised some people experienced a delay in their care over the festive period after it experienced “significant pressure”.