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 27,936 patients visited A&E at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust in April.

That was a drop of 7% on the 30,185 visits recorded during March, but 1% more than the 27,725 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 15,294 visits to A&E at sites run by the Sussex University Hospitals 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 24% 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 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 University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust:

In April:

There were 2,085 booked appointments, up from 2,073 in March

Just 56% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%

2,507 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit – 9% of patients

Of those, 690 were delayed by more than 12 hours