Rise in visits to A&E at United Lincolnshire Hospitals

More patients visited A&E at United Lincolnshire Hospitals last month, with demand rising above the levels seen over the same period last year.

NHS England figures show 17,937 patients visited A&E at United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust in October.

That was a rise of 4% on the 17,278 visits recorded during September, and 15% more than the 15,629 patients seen in October 2020.

The figures show attendances were above the levels seen before the coronavirus pandemic – in October 2019, there were 15,139 visits to A&E at United Lincolnshire 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 34% were via minor injury units.

Across England, A&E departments received 2.2 million visits last month.

That was an increase of 2% compared to September, and 36% more than the 1.6 million seen during October 2020.

At United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust:

In October:

There were 36 booked appointments, up from 26 in September

64% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%

2,168 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit

Of those, 173 were delayed by more than 12 hours

Separate NHS Digital data reveals that in September:

The median time to treatment was 62 minutes

Around 5% of patients left before being treated