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 14,359 patients visited A&E at Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust in October.

That was a rise of 3% on the 13,882 visits recorded during September, and 50% more than the 9,558 patients seen in October 2020.

The figures show attendances were above the levels seen before the coronavirus pandemic – in October 2019, there were 11,243 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 2.2 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 Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust:

In October:

There were 12 booked appointments, down from 29 in September

79% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%

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

Separate NHS Digital data reveals that in September:

The median time to treatment was 48 minutes