Latest NHS figures show drop in visits to A&E at Bedfordshire Hospitals

The latest NHS data has shown a drop in visits to A&E at Bedfordshire Hospitals.

NHS England figures show 21,854 patients visited A&E at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust last month – a drop of 11 per cent compared to figures recorded in March.

However, the number has risen by a quarter when compared to April 2022, when 17,570 patients were recorded visiting A&E departments run by Bedfordshire 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 35 per cent were via minor injury units.

Nuffield Trust fellow Jessica Morris said it is positive to see some improvements, to be expected after an ‘incredibly difficult winter period’.

She said: "Three quarters of patients left A&E within the four-hour target in April, up from two thirds in December 2022."

She added in most cases emergency care services are still struggling to meet targets, and the NHS still has ‘a very long way to go’.

Trust figures from April also show there were 1,066 booked appointments, down from 1,122 in March while 93 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit– less than 0.5 per cent of all arrivals.

Across England, A&E departments received 2 million visits last month - a decrease of six per cent compared to March, and a similar number to April 2022.

The number of people waiting more than 12 hours in A&E departments across England, from a decision to admit to actually being admitted, stood at 26,900 in April, down by 32 per cent compared to March. The figure hit a record 54,600 in December.

Tim Gardner, assistant director of policy at the Health Foundation, said patients continue to ‘pay the price’ as services and staff are under intense pressure, with one in 13 patients spending more than 12 hours in A&E departments.

He added resolving the pay disputes would help avoid more short-term disruption but would not address chronic staff shortages.

NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said strides had been made in emergency care and ambulance response times are the fastest they have been for almost two years.