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

Fewer patients visited A&E at the South Tyneside and Sunderland Trust last month – and attendances were lower than over the same period last year, figures reveal.

NHS England figures show 20,315 patients visited A&E at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust in July.

That was a drop of 1% on the 20,465 visits recorded during June, and 2% lower than the 20,758 patients seen in July 2022.

The figures show attendances were below the levels seen two years ago – in July 2021, there were 20,471 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 34% were via minor injury units.

Meanwhile, around 8% were via consultant-led departments with single specialities, such as eye conditions or dental problems.

Professor Julian Redhead, NHS England's national clinical director for urgent and emergency care, said the figures are a reminder of the significant pressure staff are facing this summer.

He added the health service will need to prioritise emergency care “once again” as a fifth round of junior doctor strike are set to begin this week.

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

The NHS said the data suggests this summer is on track to be the busiest ever with 4.4 million attendances in A&E over June and July.

Siva Anandaciva, chief analyst at The King’s Fund, said: "The latest figures paint a grim picture, with only 74% of patients seen within four hours at A&E, rather than the target of 95%."

The operational standard target of 95% was replaced last year with an intermediary threshold target of 76% to be hit by March 2024.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "We are working to get 800 new ambulances on the road, create 5,000 extra hospital beds and scale up virtual wards as part of our Urgent and Emergency Care plan to further reduce waiting times."

At South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust:

In July:

• There were 1,450 booked appointments, up from 1,391 in June

• 76% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%

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

• Of those, two were delayed by more than 12 hours