28.01.14
London has highest rate of major emergency attendances
The attendance rate at major A&E departments is highest in London, new research from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) shows.
The report found that in London SHA there were 312 attendances per 1,000 of the population, and in the North West there were 307 per 1,000. The figures cover 2012/13.
The lowest rate of attendance was in South Central SHA, with just 189 per 1,000, and South West SHA with 210.
GP referrals account for 5.8% of attendances to major A&E departments overall, but this rate is highest in the South West and lowest in the North West.
HSCIC chair Kingsley Manning said: “The scale of the variation in A&E attendances reported in this publication is striking. Policy makers and system managers will want to look at the implications of this analysis for the future management and disposition of A&E services.”
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