More patients visited A&E at Plymouth Hospitals Trust last month, with demand rising above the levels seen over the same period last year.

NHS England figures show 12,368 patients visited A&E at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust in August.

That was a rise of 1% on the 12,240 visits recorded during July, and 1% more than the 12,221 patients seen in August 2021.

The figures show attendances were below the levels seen two years ago – in August 2020, there were 12,491 visits to A&E departments run by Plymouth 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 36% were via minor injury units.

Meanwhile, around 2% were via consultant-led departments with single specialties, such as eye conditions or dental problems.

Across England, A&E departments received 2 million visits last month.

That was a decrease of 8% compared to July, and the same number as were seen during August 2021.

At University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust:

In August:

  • There were 78 booked appointments, down from 114 in July
  • 1,280 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit – 10% of patients
  • Of those, 774 were delayed by more than 12 hours

Separate NHS Digital data reveals that in July:

  • The median time to treatment was 32 minutes. The median average is used to ensure figures are not skewed by particularly long or short waiting times
  • Around 8% of patients left before being treated