Drop in visits to A&E at Gateshead Health last month

Fewer patients visited A&E at Gateshead Health last month – but attendances were higher than over the same period last year, figures reveal.

NHS England figures show 8,754 patients visited A&E at Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust in April.

That was a drop of 4% on the 9,153 visits recorded during March, but 18% more than the 7,390 patients seen in April 2021.

The figures show attendances were well above the levels seen at the start of the coronavirus pandemic – in April 2020, there were 4,095 visits to A&E at sites run by Gateshead Health.

The majority of attendances last month were via major A&E departments – those with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care – while 38% were via minor injury units.

Across England, A&E departments received 2 million visits last month.

That was a decrease of 7% compared to March, but 9% more than the 1.9 million seen during April 2021.

At Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust:

In April:

There were 52 booked appointments, up from 31 in March

Just 75% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%

917 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit – 10% of patients

Of those, 71 were delayed by more than 12 hours