Drop in visits to A&E at Newcastle Hospitals Trust last month

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

NHS England figures show 19,913 patients visited A&E at The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in April.

That was a drop of 7% on the 21,411 visits recorded during March, but 21% more than the 16,463 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 7,321 visits to A&E at sites run by Newcastle Hospitals Trust.

The majority of attendances last month were via major A&E departments – those with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care – while 34% were via minor injury units.

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

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 The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust:

In April:

There were 542 booked appointments, down from 557 in March

Just 82% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%

341 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit – 2% of patients