Fewer patients visited A&E at the Royal Berkshire Trust last month – and attendances were lower than in October last year, figures reveal.
NHS England figures show 10,941 patients visited A&E at Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust in October.
That was a drop of 4 per cent on the 11,341 visits recorded during September, and 14% lower than the 12,697 patients seen in October the previous year.
READ MORE: Covid-19: Weekly cases, rates and changes for EVERY Reading area
The majority of attendances last month were via major A&E departments – those with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care.
Meanwhile, around 16 per cent were via consultant-led departments with single specialties, such as eye conditions or dental problems.
Across England, A&E departments received 1.6 million visits last month.
That was a decrease of 6 per cent compared to September, and 26 per cent fewer than the 2.2 million seen during October 2019.
The NHS said the drop in attendances nationally is “likely to be a result of the Covid-19 response”.
At Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust:
In October:
88 per cent of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%
293 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit
READ MORE: REVEALED: Five of the highest and lowest food hygiene ratings in Reading
Separate data reveals that in September:
The median time to treatment was 39 minutes
Around 2 per cent of patients left before being treated