More patients visited A&E at East Lancashire Hospitals last month, with demand rising well above the levels seen during the first national lockdown last year.

NHS England figures show 16,624 patients visited A&E at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust in April.

That was a rise of 13% on the 14,747 visits recorded during March, and more than double the 7,955 patients seen in April the previous year.

The figures show attendances were above the levels seen before the coronavirus pandemic – in April 2019, there were 15,929 visits to A&E at East Lancashire 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 37% were via minor injury units.

Across England, A&E departments received 1.9 million visits last month.

That was an increase of 11% compared to March, and more than double the 916,600 seen during April 2020 – a reflection of lower-than-usual numbers for that month as more people avoided hospitals during the early days of the pandemic.

At East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust:

In April:

There were 199 booked appointments, up from none in March

85% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%

421 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit

Of those, seven were delayed by more than 12 hours

Separate data reveals that in March:

The median time to treatment was 55 minutes

Around 2% of patients left before being treated