More patients visited A&E at Portsmouth Hospitals last month, with demand rising above the levels seen over the same period last year.

NHS England figures show 13,594 patients visited A&E at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust in May.

That was a rise of 16% on the 11,673 visits recorded during April, and 7% more than the 12,757 patients seen in May 2021.

The figures show attendances were above the levels seen at the start of the coronavirus pandemic – in May 2020, there were 9,137 visits to A&E at sites run by Portsmouth Hospitals.

The majority of attendances last month were via major A&E departments – those with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care – while 21% were via minor injury units.

Meanwhile, around 5% were via consultant-led departments with single specialties, such as eye conditions or dental problems.

Across England, A&E departments received 2.2 million visits last month.

That was an increase of 8% compared to April, and 5% more than the 2.1 million seen during May 2021.

At Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust:

In May:

  • There were 1,599 booked appointments, up from 1,271 in April
  • 1,619 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit – 12% of patients

Separate NHS Digital data reveals that in March:

  • The median time to treatment was 84 minutes. The median average is used to ensure figures are not skewed by particularly long or short waiting times
  • Around 5% of patients left before being treated