Drop in visits to A&E at the Royal Free London last month

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

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

NHS England figures show 24,983 patients visited A&E at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust in April.

That was a drop of 10% on the 27,659 visits recorded during March, but 4% more than the 24,091 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 10,811 visits to A&E at sites run by the Royal Free London.

The majority of attendances last month were via major A&E departments – those with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care – while 16% 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 Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust:

In April:

Just 66% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%

1,651 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit – 7% of patients

Of those, 390 were delayed by more than 12 hours