Fewer patients visited the A&E department at the Royal Bolton Hospital last month – and attendances were also lower than over the same period last year.

New figures from NHS England show 10,218 patients visited A&E at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust in April.

That was a drop of six per cent on the 10,889 visits recorded during March, and seven per cent lower than the 10,936 patients seen in April 2022.

The figures also show attendances were below the levels seen two years ago – in April 2021, there were 10,515 visits to A&E departments run by the Bolton 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 15 per cent were via minor injury units.

In April there were 54 booked appointments, up from 53 in March, 69 per cent of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95 per cent, 873 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit – nine per cent of all arrivals and of those, 356 were delayed by more than 12 hours.

Rae Wheatcroft, chief operating officer at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our emergency department is always here for anyone who has a life-threatening or emergency need but ask those who do not need emergency care to continue to think carefully about where best to find the care they need.

“We always prioritise those who need our care most, so while our staff are working as hard as they can to see people as quickly as possible, unfortunately the demands on our services mean there can often be long waits.

“Thank you to those who do choose the right services for their needs but for anyone unsure about which service is best for them, NHS 111 online provides expert advice and guidance to help ensure you receive the right treatment and care.”

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

That was a decrease of 6 per cent compared to March, and a similar number as seen during 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 32 per cent from 39,700 in March. The figure hit a record 54,600 in December 2022.

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 said: “Resolving the current pay disputes should help avoid more short-term disruption, so the recent headway made by the government and trade unions is welcome.

"However, this will not address the underlying challenges facing the health service and those who work in it.

“The workforce plan, long promised by the government to address chronic staff shortages and improve retention, must be published."

NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said strides made in emergency care "in the face of incredible pressure" is testimony to the hard work of frontline staff.

She added: "Ambulance response times are the fastest they have been for almost two years while A&E performance has also improved."

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