Department of Health: Statistical press notice: A&E statistics - quarterly update

Accident and Emergency attendances; total time spent in A&E from arrival to admission, discharge or transfer; and waiting for emergency admission through A&E, quarter ending 30 September 2010.

The main findings for Q2 2010/11 were: 

* Across all A&E types, 98.0% of patients spent 4 hours or less from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge. This compares to 98.4% in the previous quarter (Q1 2010/11) and 98.7% for the same quarter last year (Q2 2009/10). 

* This quarter the percentage of patients who spent 4 hours or less from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge in major A&E departments only (type 1s) was 97.0% compared to 97.6% in the previous quarter (Q1 2010/11) and 98.1% in the same quarter last year (Q2 2009/10).

* This quarter there were 5.4 million attendances at all types of A&E departments, a 3.2% increase from the same quarter last year (Q2 2009/10) and a 2.7% decrease from the previous quarter (Q1 2010/11).

* For major A&E (type 1s) there was a 2.2% increase in attendances over the same quarter last year (Q2 2009/10) and a 2.4% decrease from the previous quarter (Q1 2010/11). 

* Of the 3.5 million patients who attended major A&E departments (type 1s), 24.3% or 0.85 million needed to be admitted to hospital. Of these, 98.09% were placed in a bed in a ward within four hours of a decision to admit. This compares to 98.34% in the previous quarter (Q1 2010/11).

Link:http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Statistics/Performancedataandstatistics/AccidentandEmergency/index.htm

Lead Statistician: Tony O'Connell

Notes for editors

1. The operational standard as set by the previous government was for 98.0% of patients spending 4 hours or less from arrival at A&E to admission, transfer or discharge. The revised Operating Framework for NHS in England 2010-11 came out in June. It announced the 4hr standard would be replaced by a set of clinical quality indicators in April 2011. It also outlined that the operational standard would be changed to 95.0% upon clinical advice with immediate effect.

2. The operational standard is being measured against all types of A&E including Minor Injury Units and Walk in Centres. However prior to April 2003 only the major A&Es performance (type 1s) was published. For comparative purposes the type 1 only figure continues to be published alongside the headline all types figure.