Surge in patients visiting A&E at Chesterfield Royal Hospital

NHS England figures show 9,006 patients visited A&E at Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in March.

That was a rise of 21% on the 7,446 visits recorded during February, and 28% more than the 7,049 patients seen in March 2021.

The figures show attendances were above the levels seen at the start of the coronavirus pandemic – in March 2020, there were 6,136 visits to A&E at Chesterfield Royal Hospital.

The majority of attendances last month were via minor A&E departments – those which treat minor injuries and illnesses such as fractures, cuts and bruises – while 34% were via major departments, with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care.

Across England, A&E departments received 2.2 million visits last month.

That was an increase of 19% compared to February, and 29% more than the 1.7 million seen during March 2021.

At Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in March:

There were 332 booked appointments, up from 259 in February

81% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%

438 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit – 5% of patients

Separate NHS Digital data reveals that in February:

The median time to treatment was 71 minutes. The median average is used to ensure figures are not skewed by particularly long or short waiting times

Around 2% of patients left before being treated