Drop in visits to A&E at the Royal Devon University Healthcare Trust last month

Fewer patients visited A&E at the Royal Devon University Healthcare Trust last month – but attendances were higher than over the same period last year, figures reveal.

NHS England figures show 16,243 patients visited A&E at Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in June.

That was a slight drop from the 16,272 visits recorded during May, but 4% more than the 15,674 patients seen by the trust's two predecessors in June 2022.

The figures show attendances were below the levels seen two years ago – in June 2021, there were 16,978 visits to A&E departments run by the Royal Devon University Healthcare Trust.

Most attendances last month were via major A&E departments – those with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care – while 20% were via minor injury units.

Across England, A&E departments received 2.2 million visits last month – down a bit from May, but slightly above the number of visits seen in June 2022.

The number of people waiting more than 12 hours in A&E departments in England from a decision to admit to actually being admitted was 26,531 in June, down 16% from 31,494 in May. The figure hit a record 54,573 in December 2022.

It comes as junior doctors have begun their five-day walk out in what is the longest spell of industrial action in the history.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said: "Every new month brings more evidence of record demand across many areas of NHS care with staff experiencing the busiest June ever for A&E attendances, no doubt exacerbated by the record high temperatures experienced for that month.

"This ongoing pressure on services is precisely why it is so important to highlight that staff continue to make progress in reducing the longest waits for care despite strikes, high demand, and bank holiday weekends."

At Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust:

In June: