Drop in visits to A&E at the Sussex University Hospitals Trust last month

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

NHS England figures show 25,788 patients visited A&E at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust in February.

That was a drop of 4% on the 26,750 visits recorded during January, but 37% more than the 18,804 patients seen by the trust's two predecessors in February 2021.

The majority of attendances last month were via major A&E departments – those with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care – while 26% were via minor injury units.

Meanwhile, around 5% were via consultant-led departments with single specialties, such as eye conditions or dental problems.

Across England, A&E departments received 1.8 million visits last month.

That was a decrease of 3% compared to January, but 43% more than the 1.3 million seen during February 2021.

At University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust:

In February:

There were 2,013 booked appointments, down from 2,223 in January

62% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%

1,879 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit – 7% of patients

Of those, 337 were delayed by more than 12 hours

Separate NHS Digital data reveals that in January:

The median time to treatment was 87 minutes

Around 5% of patients left before being treated