Rise in visits to A&E at the Dartford and Gravesham Trust

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

NHS England figures show 13,882 patients visited A&E at Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust in September.

That was a rise of 8% on the 12,807 visits recorded during August, and 40% more than the 9,945 patients seen in September 2020.

The figures show attendances were above the levels seen before the coronavirus pandemic – in September 2019, there were 11,017 visits to A&E at the Dartford and Gravesham 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 20% 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 Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust:

In September:

There were 29 booked appointments, down from 32 in August

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

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

Separate NHS Digital data reveals that in August:

The median time to treatment was 40 minutes