14.06.13
Nearly half of patients attend A&E outside working hours
The pattern of patient arrival times at A&E has been largely unchanged for five years, new data from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) shows.
Although the number of patients visiting A&E increased each year from 2008/08 to 2011/12, the proportion arriving during work hours has remained very similar.
In the 11 months to February 2013, 58.5% of patients arrived between 9am and 6pm, and this number has varied between 56.8% and 58.5% over the five year period.
The latest statistics show 20% of discharged patients required a GP follow-up, up from 17% in 2007/08. HSCIC also highlighted that the most deprived 10% of society account for more than double the number of attendances compared to the least deprived 10%.
HSCIC chair Kingsley Manning said: “As the authoritative and trusted source of national health and social care information, the HSCIC is providing this timely and robust analysis to inform current debate.
“The potential impact of changes in primary care provision to A&E departments in England is high on the present public agenda. We are able to offer a detailed picture of A&E activity over a number of years, shedding light on a key policy discussion and helping ensure it is grounded in evidence.”
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