Hospitals under strain as 4,000 extra patients at A&E in June
‘ONLY VISIT WHEN NECESSARY’
LEICESTERSHIRE’S hospitals treated 4,000 more patients than usual in A&E in one month during an incredibly busy summer for the NHS.
Figures released by the area’s clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) show emergency departments in the city and county’s hospitals treated 30,887 people in June alone. This is significantly up from June 2019’s figures, when the same NHS departments treated only 26,777, an increase of 4,110 people, or 15 per cent.
This equals 137 extra people coming through the doors of A&Es each day with, on average, 1,029 patients being seen every day.
Calls to 999 were also significantly higher, with emergency service call handlers receiving 22,378 calls in June 2021, up by 4,684 from the 17,694 received in June 2019.
This means call handlers were receiving 156 additional calls every day for the entire month, with 745 calls being made to 999 every day. The June figures give an insight into the increased pressure the NHS has been under across the city and county, having to deal with the recent rise with Covid-19 hospitalisations alongside other illnesses and injuries requiring the A&E department’s attention.
The NHS is also dealing with the backlog of appointments from the pandemic, which is adding extra strain alongside the rise in emergency patients.
The CCGs are asking people to use the correct services to get the treatment they need as a number of people attending A&E do not need emergency care, they say.
Officials are asking people to contact their GP or to call the nonemergency 111 number for help. It is a part of a campaign running to encourage people to use the correct services at the right time, which will help NHS staff treat those who need urgent care first.
Dr Fahad Rizvi, a GP who is also clinical lead for urgent care for the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland CCGs, said people could help to reduce the strain on NHS services. Dr Rizvi said: “There is an increased pressure, in particular we are seeing a significant rise in A&E attendances and calls made to 999.
“Whilst these services are for emergency or life-threatening conditions only, it is clear a large proportion of the attendances are not representing this, which causes delays for those who require urgent treatment. This is why we are urging the public to access NHS 111 online or by calling 111 for them to be navigated to the most appropriate cares.
“This could also mean people are treated more quickly, as the emergency department and ambulance service concentrate on those with more serious conditions.”