More patients visited A&E at Buckinghamshire Healthcare last month, with demand rising above the levels seen in March last year.

NHS England figures show 9,886 patients visited A&E at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust in March.

That was a rise of 26 per cent on the 7,849 visits recorded during February, and 12 per cent more than the 8,854 patients seen in March the previous year.

The majority of attendances last month were via major A&E departments – those with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care – while 29% were via minor injury units.

Meanwhile, around 11 per cent were via consultant-led departments with single specialties, such as eye conditions or dental problems.

Across England, A&E departments received 1.7 million visits last month.

That was an increase of 32 per cent compared to February, and 10 per cent more than the 1.5 million seen during March 2020.

At Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust in March:

  • There were seven booked appointments, down from 12 in February
  • 83% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%
  • 539 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit

Separate data reveals that in February:

  1. The median time to treatment was 58 minutes
  2. No patients left before being treated