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

General view of an Accident and Emergency Sign at Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.

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

NHS England figures show 27,628 patients visited A&E at London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust in June.

That was a rise of 4% on the 26,673 visits recorded during May, but 8% lower than the 30,053 patients seen in June 2022.

The figures show attendances were below the levels seen two years ago – in June 2021, there were 30,874 visits to A&E departments run by London North West Healthcare.

Most attendances last month were via minor A&E departments – those which treat minor injuries and illnesses such as fractures, cuts and bruises – while 46% were via major departments, with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care.

Across England, A&E departments received 2.2 million visits last month – down a bit from May, but slightly above the number of visits seen in June 2022.

The number of people waiting more than 12 hours in A&E departments in England from a decision to admit to actually being admitted was 26,531 in June, down 16% from 31,494 in May. The figure hit a record 54,573 in December 2022.

It comes as junior doctors have begun their five-day walk out in what is the longest spell of industrial action in the history.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said: "Every new month brings more evidence of record demand across many areas of NHS care with staff experiencing the busiest June ever for A&E attendances, no doubt exacerbated by the record high temperatures experienced for that month.

"This ongoing pressure on services is precisely why it is so important to highlight that staff continue to make progress in reducing the longest waits for care despite strikes, high demand, and bank holiday weekends."

At London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust:

In June:

There were 229 booked appointments, up from 225 in May

78% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%

801 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit – 3% of all arrivals

Of those, 178 were delayed by more than 12 hours