Drop in visits to A&E at Imperial College Healthcare last month

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

NHS England figures show 21,672 patients visited A&E at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in April.

That was a drop of 7% on the 23,266 visits recorded during March, but 6% more than the 20,513 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 9,076 visits to A&E at sites run by Imperial College Healthcare.

The majority of attendances last month were via major A&E departments – those with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care – while 29% were via minor injury units.

Meanwhile, around 17% were via consultant-led departments with single specialties, such as eye conditions or dental problems.

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 Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust:

In April:

1,453 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit – 7% of patients

Of those, 131 were delayed by more than 12 hours