16,000 people visited Blackpool Vic's A&E department last month

NHS England figures show 16,229 patients visited A&E at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in February.

That was a drop of 2% on the 16,527 visits recorded during January, but 47% more than the 11,021 patients seen in February 2021.

The figures show attendances were below the levels seen before the coronavirus pandemic – in February 2020, there were 16,821 visits to A&E at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals.

The majority of attendances last month were via minor A&E departments – those which treat minor injuries and illnesses such as fractures, cuts and bruises – while 49% were via major departments, with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care.

Across England, A&E departments received 1.8 million visits last month, it has been revealed.

That was a decrease of 3% compared to January, but 43% more than the 1.3 million seen during February 2021.

At Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust:

In February:

There were 562 booked appointments, down from 649 in January

78% of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%

1,484 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit – 9% of patients

Of those, 735 were delayed by more than 12 hours

Separate NHS Digital data reveals that in January:

The median time to treatment was 90 minutes

Around 8% of patients left before being treated