THE number of people attending the A and E unit at Barnsley Hospital dramatically dropped whilst England were playing Spain in the Euro 2024 final - prompting health bosses to ask residents to only come to the site if they require emergency care.
On Sunday evening, the Chronicle understands there were just a handful of patients in the A and E waiting room at the Gawber Road site at any one time - though people were being seen by staff in cubicles.
It’s a stark contrast to the usual situation - with hospital bosses asking locals to only attend the unit if they are need of emergency care every day this week.
They admit that sporting events such as the Euro 2024 final will see a positive impact on the number of people attending the hospital, but have urged locals to think twice before heading straight down to A and E.
A spokesperson for the hospital told the Chronicle: “National events will often have an effect on the number of people we see attending our emergency department.
“During the period around Sunday’s Euro 2024 final we saw fewer people coming to A and E than we usually would have done, though Monday morning was busier than usual.
“You should come to A and E if you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency such as chest pain, breathing difficulties, or severe allergic reactions - call 111 if you are unsure about your care options, and call 999 if you need urgent medical help.”
The latest figures from NHS England shows that there were 9,177 visits to A and E last month.
Of them, 6,719 were seen within four hours - accounting for 73 per cent of arrivals.
The NHS standard is for 95 per cent of patients to be seen within four hours.
However, as part of a recovery plan, the health service has an objective for 78 per cent of patients to be seen within this time frame in March 2025.
Across England, 75 per cent of patients were seen within four hours, a slight increase from 74 per cent the month before.
Figures also show 38,106 emergency admissions waited more than 12 hours in A and E departments from a decision to admit to actually being admitted - down from 42,555 in May.
The number waiting at least four hours from the decision to admit to admission also dropped, from 138,770 in May to 128,114 last month.
At Barnsley Hospital, 357 patients waited longer than four hours.
Sarah Woolnough, chief executive at the King’s Fund think-tank, said: “Prior to winning the general election, the Labour Party pledged to return the NHS to meeting performance standards by the end of this Parliament if it was to form the new government.
“NHS performance is currently well below many of the level patients rightly expect and which are set out as rights and pledges in the NHS Constitution.
“The prize of shorter waiting times and better patient care would be a good goal for any government.
“But it will not be easily won.”
The overall number of attendances to A and E at Barnsley Hospital in June was a drop of one per cent on the 9,276 visits recorded during May, but five per cent more than the 8,746 patients seen in June 2023.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said: “Frontline teams are continuing to work exceptionally hard under significant pressure to provide the best care they can for patients, but everyone recognises that access and waiting times are currently far from what the public have a right to expect.”
