Drop in visits to A&E at St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals last month

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

NHS England figures show 15,096 patients visited A&E at St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in August.

That was a drop of 11% on the 16,871 visits recorded during July, but 10% more than the 13,763 patients seen in August 2020.

The figures show attendances were above the levels seen before the coronavirus pandemic – in August 2019, there were 9,810 visits to A&E at St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals.

The majority of attendances last month were via major A&E departments – those with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care – while 35% were via minor injury units.

Across England, A&E departments received 2 million visits last month.

That was a decrease of 6% compared to July, but 19% more than the 1.7 million seen during August 2020.

At St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust:

In August:

There were 207 booked appointments, up from 189 in July

70% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%

400 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit

Separate NHS Digital data reveals that in July:

The median time to treatment was 99 minutes

Around 9% of patients left before being treated