Drop in visits to A&E at the Manchester Trust last month

Fewer patients visited A&E at the Manchester Trust last month – but attendances were higher than over the same period last year, figures reveal.

NHS England figures show 40,082 patients visited A&E at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust in April.

That was a drop of 10% on the 44,351 visits recorded during March, but 9% more than the 36,777 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 14,176 visits to A&E at sites run by the Manchester 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 22% were via minor injury units.

Meanwhile, around 7% were via consultant-led departments with single specialties, such as eye conditions or dental problems.

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 Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust:

In April:

There were 3,662 booked appointments, down from 3,883 in March

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

3,589 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit – 9% of patients

Of those, 127 were delayed by more than 12 hours