Drop in visits to A&E at the South Tyneside and Sunderland Trust last month

General view of an Accident and Emergency Sign at Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.

NHS England figures show 20,465 patients visited A&E at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust in June.

Fewer patients visited A&E at the South Tyneside and Sunderland Trust last month.

NHS England figures show 20,465 patients visited A&E at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust in June.

That was a drop of 3% on the 21,169 visits recorded during May, but in line with the number seen in June 2022.

The figures show attendances were below the levels seen two years ago – in June 2021, there were 21,305 visits to A&E departments run by the South Tyneside and Sunderland Trust.

Most attendances last month were via major A&E departments – those with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care – while 35% were via minor injury units.

Meanwhile, around 7% were via consultant-led departments with single specialities, such as eye conditions or dental problems.

Across England, A&E departments received 2.2 million visits last month – down a bit from May, but slightly above the number of visits seen in June 2022.

The number of people waiting more than 12 hours in A&E departments in England from a decision to admit to actually being admitted was 26,531 in June, down 16% from 31,494 in May. The figure hit a record 54,573 in December 2022.

It comes as junior doctors have begun their five-day walk out in what is the longest spell of industrial action in the history.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said: "Every new month brings more evidence of record demand across many areas of NHS care with staff experiencing the busiest June ever for A&E attendances, no doubt exacerbated by the record high temperatures experienced for that month.

"This ongoing pressure on services is precisely why it is so important to highlight that staff continue to make progress in reducing the longest waits for care despite strikes, high demand, and bank holiday weekends."

At South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust:

In June:

There were 1,391 booked appointments, down from 1,540 in May

74% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%

566 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit – 3% of all arrivals

Of those, three were delayed by more than 12 hours