Drop in visits to A&E at Alder Hey Children's Hospital last month

General view of an Accident and Emergency Sign at Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.

Fewer patients visited A&E at Alder Hey Children's Hospital last month – and attendances were lower than over the same period last year, figures reveal.

NHS England figures show 5,412 patients visited A&E at Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust in April.

That was a drop of 15% on the 6,339 visits recorded during March, and 2% lower than the 5,515 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 2,062 visits to A&E at sites run by Alder Hey Children's Hospital.

All of last month's attendances were via major A&E departments – those with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care.

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 Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust:

In April:

Just 73% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%