Rise in visits to A&E at Newcastle Hospitals

More patients visited A&E at Newcastle Hospitals last month, with demand rising well above the levels seen over the same period last year.

NHS England figures show 23,160 patients visited A&E at The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in October.

That was a rise of 8% on the 21,413 visits recorded during September, and 80% more than the 12,889 patients seen in October 2020.

The figures show attendances were above the levels seen before the coronavirus pandemic – in October 2019, there were 20,601 visits to A&E at Newcastle Hospitals.

The majority of 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 6% were via consultant-led departments with single specialties, such as eye conditions or dental problems.

Across England, A&E departments received 2.2 million visits last month.

That was an increase of 2% compared to September, and 36% more than the 1.6 million seen during October 2020.

At The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust:

In October:

There were 417 booked appointments, down from 442 in September

84% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%

360 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit

Of those, one was delayed by more than 12 hours

Separate NHS Digital data reveals that in September:

The median time to treatment was 60 minutes

Around 5% of patients left before being treated