Drop in visits to A&E at Hillingdon Hospitals Trust last month

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

NHS England figures show 11,706 patients visited A&E at Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in April.

That was a drop of 9% on the 12,891 visits recorded during March, but 19% more than the 9,867 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 4,937 visits to A&E at sites run by Hillingdon Hospitals Trust.

The majority of attendances last month were via minor A&E departments – those which treat minor injuries and illnesses such as fractures, cuts and bruises – while 47% were via major departments, with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care.

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 Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust:

In April:

There were 716 booked appointments, down from 736 in March

Just 73% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%

668 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit – 6% of patients

Of those, two were delayed by more than 12 hours