Drop in visits to A&E at the Lewisham and Greenwich Trust last month

Fewer patients visited A&E at the Lewisham and Greenwich Trust last month – but attendances were higher than over the same period last year, figures reveal.

NHS England figures show 23,841 patients visited A&E at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust in April.

That was a drop of 11% on the 26,920 visits recorded during March, but 8% more than the 22,133 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 12,124 visits to A&E at sites run by the Lewisham and Greenwich 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 43% 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 Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust:

In April:

There were 755 booked appointments, down from 838 in March

Just 75% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%

1,788 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit – 7% of patients

Of those, 415 were delayed by more than 12 hours