Rise in visits to A&E at the South Tyneside and Sunderland Trust

More patients visited A&E at the South Tyneside and Sunderland Trust last month, with demand rising above the levels seen over the same period last year.

NHS England figures show 20,758 patients visited A&E at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust in July.

That was a rise of 2% on the 20,446 visits recorded during June, and 1% more than the 20,471 patients seen in July 2021.

The figures show attendances were above the levels seen in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic – in July 2020, there were 16,676 visits to A&E departments run by the South Tyneside and Sunderland 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 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 a decrease of 1% compared to June, and the same number as were seen during July 2021.

At South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust:

In July:

There were 707 booked appointments, down from 723 in June

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

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

Separate NHS Digital data reveals that in June:

The median time to treatment was 84 minutes. The median average is used to ensure figures are not skewed by particularly long or short waiting times

Around 5% of patients left before being treated