Drop in visits to A&E at London North West Healthcare last month

Fewer patients visited A&E at London North West Healthcare last month – but attendances were higher than over the same period last year, figures reveal.

NHS England figures show 27,256 patients visited A&E at London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust in April.

That was a drop of 6% on the 29,025 visits recorded during March, but 5% more than the 26,061 patients seen in April 2021.

The figures show attendances were well above the levels seen at the start of the coronavirus pandemic – in April 2020, there were 10,989 visits to A&E at sites run by London North West Healthcare.

The majority of attendances last month were via minor A&E departments – those which treat minor injuries and illnesses such as fractures, cuts and bruises – while 43% were via major departments, with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care.

Across England, A&E departments received 2 million visits last month.

That was a decrease of 7% compared to March, but 9% more than the 1.9 million seen during April 2021.

At London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust:

In April:

There were 331 booked appointments, up from 252 in March

Just 73% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%

1,224 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit – 4% of patients

Of those, 253 were delayed by more than 12 hours