Drop in visits to A&E at East Kent University Hospitals Trust last month

Fewer patients visited A&E at East Kent University Hospitals Trust last month – but attendances were higher than over the same period last year, figures reveal.

NHS England figures show 21,945 patients visited A&E at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust in April.

That was a drop of 2% on the 22,403 visits recorded during March, but 8% more than the 20,340 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 10,225 visits to A&E at sites run by East Kent University Hospitals 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 23% were via minor injury units.

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 East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust:

In April:

There were 196 booked appointments, down from 996 in March

Just 70% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%

1,762 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit – 8% of patients

Of those, 490 were delayed by more than 12 hours