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

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

NHS England figures show 21,598 patients visited A&E at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust in August.

That was a drop of 9% on the 23,814 visits recorded during July, and 2% lower than the 22,021 patients seen in August 2021.

The figures show attendances were above the levels seen two years ago – in August 2020, there were 18,717 visits to A&E departments run by East Kent 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 23% were via minor injury units.

Across England, A&E departments received 2 million visits last month.

That was a decrease of 8% compared to July, and the same number as were seen during August 2021.

At East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust:

In August:

There were 106 booked appointments, down from 133 in July

65% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%

1,782 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit – 8% of patients

Of those, 1,026 were delayed by more than 12 hours

Separate NHS Digital data reveals that in July:

Around 4% of patients left before being treated