Drop in visits to A&E at Milton Keynes University Hospital last month

Fewer patients visited A&E at Milton Keynes University Hospital last month – but attendances were higher than over the same period last year, figures reveal.

NHS England figures show 12,243 patients visited A&E at Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in December.

That was a drop of 8% on the 13,267 visits recorded during November, but 31% more than the 9,324 patients seen in December 2020.

The figures show attendances were below the levels seen before the coronavirus pandemic – in December 2019, there were 14,091 visits to A&E at Milton Keynes University Hospital.

The majority of attendances last month were via major A&E departments – those with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care – while 37% were via minor injury units.

Across England, A&E departments received 1.9 million visits last month.

That was a decrease of 8% compared to November, but 27% more than the 1.5 million seen during December 2020.

At Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust:

In December:

> There were 664 booked appointments, up from 619 in November

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

> 406 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit

Separate NHS Digital data reveals that in November:

> The median time to treatment was 103 minutes

> Around 5% of patients left before being treated