Fewer patients visited the accident and emergency department at Bolton's NHS trust last month – and attendances were lower than over the same period last year.

New figures by NHS England show 11,331 patients visited A&E at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust in July.

That was a drop of one per cent on the 11,485 visits recorded during June, and two per cent lower than the 11,562 patients seen in July 2022.

The figures show attendances were below the levels seen two years ago – in July 2021, there were 12,519 visits to A&E departments run by the Bolton Trust.

Most attendances last month were via major A&E departments – those with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care – while 14 per cent were via minor injury units.

There were 71 booked appointments, up from 43 in June, 66 per cent of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95 per cent, 1,055 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit – nine per cent of all arrivals and of those, 539 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 we would 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 and we are sorry to anyone who has waited longer than we would like.

“Thank you to those who do choose the right services for their needs but if anyone is 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.”

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