Drop in visits to A&E at Birmingham University Hospitals Trust last month

Fewer patients visited A&E at Birmingham University Hospitals Trust last month – and attendances were lower than over the same period last year, figures reveal.

NHS England figures show 31,725 patients visited A&E at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust in April.

That was a drop of 10% on the 35,158 visits recorded during March, and 1% lower than the 32,186 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 18,564 visits to A&E at sites run by Birmingham University Hospitals Trust.

The majority of attendances last month were via major A&E departments – those with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care – while 2% were via minor injury units.

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 University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust:

In April:

There were 182 booked appointments, down from 192 in March

Just 55% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%

4,983 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit – 16% of patients

Of those, 271 were delayed by more than 12 hours