Rise in visits to A&E at West Hertfordshire Hospitals

More patients visited A&E at West Hertfordshire Hospitals last month, with demand rising above the levels seen in March last year.

NHS England figures show 11,430 patients visited A&E at West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust in March.

That was a rise of 32 per cent on the 8,689 visits recorded during February, and 12% more than the 10,222 patients seen in March the previous year.

Around 50 per cent of attendances last month were via major A&E departments – those with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care.

Across England, A&E departments received 1.7 million visits last month.

That was an increase of 32 per cent compared to February, and 10 per cent more than the 1.5 million seen during March 2020.

At West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust:

In March:

There were 556 booked appointments, up from 343 in February

83 per cent of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95 per cent

594 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit

Separate data reveals that in February:

> The median time to treatment was 43.5 minutes

> Around two per cent of patients left before being treated.