Demand for A&E at Northampton General Hospital increasing

More patients visited A&E at Northampton General Hospital last month, with demand rising well above the levels seen during the first national lockdown last year.

NHS England figures show 10,264 patients visited A&E at Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust in April.

That was a rise of 10% on the 9,326 visits recorded during March, and 89% more than the 5,440 patients seen in April the previous year.

The figures show attendances were below the levels seen before the coronavirus pandemic – in April 2019, there were 11,084 visits to A&E at Northampton General Hospital.

The majority of attendances last month were via major A&E departments – those with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care – while 15% were via minor injury units.

Meanwhile, around 6% were via consultant-led departments with single specialties, such as eye conditions or dental problems.

Across England, A&E departments received 1.9 million visits last month.

That was an increase of 11% compared to March, and more than double the 916,600 seen during April 2020 – a reflection of lower-than-usual numbers for that month as more people avoided hospitals during the early days of the pandemic.

At Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust:

In April:

There were 283 booked appointments, down from 332 in March

86% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%

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

Separate data reveals that in March:

The median time to treatment was 78 minutes

Around 2% of patients left before being treated