A&E at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust under more pressure as patient numbers rise

Visitor numbers went up last month, but data show attendances were lower than at the same period last year.

NHS England figures show 13,858 patients visited A&E at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust in July.

This was a 4 per cent rise on the 13,277 visits recorded during June, but one per cent lower than the 14,003 patients seen in July 2021.

The numbers are higher than the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.

In July 2020, there were 11,417 visits to A&E departments run by Portsmouth Hospitals.

The majority of attendances last month were via major A&E departments.

These are places with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care.

The other 26 per cent of visits were to minor injury units.

Roughly 5 per cent of attendances were were via consultant-led departments with single specialties, such as eye conditions or dental problems.

In the last month, a total of 2.2 million went to A&E departments across England.

That was a decrease of 1 per cent compared to June, and the same number as were seen during July 2021.

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Medical staff sickness rates in Portsmouth have more than doubled, with many experts clamouring for increased support from the government.

In July, 1,490 patients waited longer than than four hours for treatment.

The average waiting time for treatment in June was 65 minutes, with roughly 5 per cent of patients leaving before being treated, according to NHS Digital data.