Drop in visits to A&E departments at York Teaching Hospital Trust last month

NHS England figures show 16,420 patients visited A&E at York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in December.

That was a drop of 7% on the 17,596 visits recorded during November, but 33% more than the 12,370 patients seen in December 2020.

The figures show attendances were below the levels seen before the coronavirus pandemic – in December 2019, there were 17,926 visits to A&E at York Teaching 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 43% were via minor injury units.

Meanwhile, around 2% were via consultant-led departments with single specialties, such as eye conditions or dental problems.

In December:

○ There were 396 booked appointments, up from 308 in November

○ 71% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%

○ 1,605 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit

○ Of those, 298 were delayed by more than 12 hours

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

That was a decrease of 8% compared to November, but 27% more than the 1.5 million seen during December 2020.

Meanwhile, more patients visited A&E at the Humber Teaching Trust last month, with demand rising well above the levels seen over the same period last year.

NHS England figures show 719 patients visited A&E at Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust in December.

That was a rise of 5% on the 687 visits recorded during November, and more than double the 285 patients seen in December 2020.