Fewer patients visited accident and emergency at the Bolton Trust last month - but figures reveal attendances were higher than over the same period last year.

NHS England figures show 10,722 patients visited A&E at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust in August.

That was a drop of five per cent on the 11,331 visits recorded during July, but two per cent more than the 10,489 patients seen in August 2022.

The figures show attendances were below the levels seen two years ago – in August 2021, there were 10,882 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 13 per cent were via minor injury units.

At Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, in August there were 52 booked appointments, down from 71 in July, 62 per cent of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS recovery target of 76 per cent, 1,182 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit – 11 per cent of all arrivals and of those, 595 were delayed by more than 12 hours.

Rae Wheatcroft, Chief Operating Officer at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said: “No matter how busy we are, our Emergency Department is always here for anyone who has a life-threatening or emergency need.

“To ensure we can treat the sickest patients as quickly as possible, we would ask anyone who doesn’t need emergency care to consider using alternative services, such as their GP or pharmacist.

“If people are unsure about where they need to be, NHS 111 online offers advice to direct people to the best place to get help for their symptoms.”

Siva Anandaciva, chief analyst at the health think tank, The King's Fund, said: "Today’s performance stats show there was no summer reprieve for under pressure health services, and they come at a time when the NHS is in the spotlight for poor performance and culture.

"There continue to be real issues with how long patients are waiting for care in key services, including in A&E where 73 per cent of patients are being seen within four hours, which is below the government’s 76 per cent recovery target and well below the 95 per cent NHS standard patients are entitled to."

It comes as the Government announced a £200 million “winter resilience” fund, aiming to keep the system running smoothly during the busy winter months.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "Winter is the most challenging time for the health service, which is why we’ve been planning for it all year – with huge government investment to fund new ambulances, beds and virtual wards.

"This extra £200 million will bolster the health service during its busiest period, while protecting elective care so we can keep cutting waiting lists."

Mr Anandaciva said the fund is welcome, but added there must be a focus on bolstering capacity in community and primary care setting alongside social care reform.

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