Drop in visits to A&E at King's College Hospital last month

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

NHS England figures show 23,914 patients visited A&E at King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in April.

That was a drop of 9% on the 26,419 visits recorded during March, but 7% more than the 22,260 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 11,148 visits to A&E at sites run by King's College Hospital.

The majority of attendances last month were via major A&E departments – those with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care – while 42% 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 King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust:

In April:

There were 1,564 booked appointments, down from 1,709 in March

Just 63% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%

2,091 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit – 9% of patients

Of those, 469 were delayed by more than 12 hours