MORE patients visited A&E at the North Cumbria Integrated Care Trust last month, with demand rising above the levels seen over the same period last year.

NHS England figures show 9,939 patients visited A&E at North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust in May.

That was a rise of 12% on the 8,838 visits recorded during April, and 67% more than the 5,940 patients seen in May 2020.

The figures show attendances were below the levels seen before the coronavirus pandemic – in May 2019, there were 10,083 visits to A&E at the North Cumbria Integrated Care 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 15% were via minor injury units.

Across England, A&E departments received 2.1 million visits last month. That was an increase of 11% compared to April, and 65% more than the 1.3 million seen during May 2020 – a reflection of lower-than-usual numbers for that month as more people avoided hospitals during the early days of the pandemic.

At North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust:

In May there were:

284 booked appointments, up from 265 in April

82% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%

302 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit. Of those, three were delayed by more than 12 hours