Rise in A and E patients in East Lancashire

NHS England figures show 17,758 patients visited A&E at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust in September.

That was a rise of 6% on the 16,690 visits recorded during August, and 24% more than the 14,273 patients seen in September 2020.

The figures show attendances were above the levels seen before the coronavirus pandemic – in September 2019, there were 15,706 visits to A&E at East Lancashire 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 38% were via minor injury units.

Across England, A&E departments received 2.1 million visits last month.

That was an increase of 4% compared to August, and 26% more than the 1.7 million seen during September 2020.

At East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust:

In September:

There were 358 booked appointments, up from 237 in August

71% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%

1,062 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit

Of those, 23 were delayed by more than 12 hours

Separate NHS Digital data reveals that in August:

The median time to treatment was 90 minutes

Around 2% of patients left before being treated