Rise in visits to A&E at the Sussex University Hospitals Trust

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

NHS England figures show 30,301 patients visited A&E at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust in October.

That was a rise of 7% on the 28,446 visits recorded during September, and 2% more than the 29,806 patients seen in October 2021.

The figures show attendances were above the levels seen two years ago – in October 2020, there were 25,185 visits to A&E departments run by the Sussex University 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 26% were via minor injury units.

Meanwhile, around 5% were via consultant-led departments with single specialties, such as eye conditions or dental problems.

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

That was an increase of 9% compared to September, and a similar number as were seen during October 2021.

At University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust:

In October:

There were 1,894 booked appointments, up from 1,781 in September

55% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%

2,905 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit – 10% of patients

Of those, 1,261 were delayed by more than 12 hours

Separate NHS Digital data reveals that in September:

The median time to treatment was 88 minutes. The median average is used to ensure figures are not skewed by particularly long or short waiting times

Around 7% of patients left before being treated