Rise in visits to A&E at Barts Health

More patients visited A&E at Barts Health last month, with demand rising above the levels seen over the same period last year.

NHS England figures show 43,901 patients visited A&E at Barts Health NHS Trust in September.

That was a rise of 9% on the 40,437 visits recorded during August, and 32% more than the 33,280 patients seen in September 2020.

The figures show attendances were above the levels seen before the coronavirus pandemic – in September 2019, there were 41,763 visits to A&E at Barts Health.

The majority of attendances last month were via major A&E departments – those with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care – while 44% were via minor injury units.

Meanwhile, around 2% were via consultant-led departments with single specialties, such as eye conditions or dental problems.

Across England, A&E departments received 2.1 million visits last month.

That was an increase of 4% compared to August, and 26% more than the 1.7 million seen during September 2020.

At Barts Health NHS Trust:

In September:

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

2,992 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit

Of those, 117 were delayed by more than 12 hours

Separate NHS Digital data reveals that in August:

The median time to treatment was 59 minutes

Around 5% of patients left before being treated