MORE than 8,500 people were seen at Barnsley Hospital’s A and E department in August as the trust continued its busiest-ever summer.
Recent NHS England figures show there were 8,536 visits to A and E at the Gawber Road site in August.
Of them, 6,640 were seen within four hours - accounting for 78 per cent of arrivals.
Across England, 76 per cent of patients were seen within four hours, an increase from 75 per cent the month before.
Figures also show 28,494 emergency admissions waited more than 12 hours in A and E departments from a decision to admit to actually being admitted - down from 36,806 in July.
The number waiting at least four hours from the decision to admit to admission also dropped, from 129,330 in July to 116,489 last month.
At Barnsley Hospital, 224 patients waited longer than four hours.
The overall number of attendances to A and E at the hospital in August was a drop of seven per cent on the 9,190 visits recorded during July, but one per cent more than the 8,438 patients seen in August 2023.
The NHS said emergency departments experienced the busiest summer ever with a combined 6,776,150 attendances in June, July and August combined - up 240,776 on the same period last year.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said the past few months have been some of the busiest in the history of the organisation.
He added: “A and E staff are under significant pressure and the NHS is in the middle of what could be its busiest summer ever, with a total of 4.6 million attendances in the last two months alone and 2024 now having seen the three busiest months for A and E on record.
“While we have seen improvements in the number of patients seen and treated within four hours in A and E, slightly faster ambulance response times, and more than three quarters of cancer patients receiving an all clear or diagnosis in four weeks, it is clear that waits for patients across a range of services remain unacceptable and there is much more to do to deliver more timely care for those who need it.
“Nobody in the NHS wants to see patients experiencing long delays and we are committed to working with the government to create a ten-year plan for health that includes a clear plan to bring waits down.
“In the meantime, staff continue to work incredibly hard to deliver the best possible care for patients, and it is vital that people continue to come forward when they have health concerns.”
A spokesperson for Barnsley Hospital said: “Regarding A and E attendances, the NHS is here for people and we urge anyone with health concerns to continue to come forward for care.
“The public can help us by accessing the right NHS care for them - you can do this by calling NHS 111 or visiting NHS 111 online for urgent health advice, or calling 999 in emergencies.
“NHS 111 can help you find the best place for your care - this could be a pharmacy, GP, urgent treatment centre, or A and E.
“It is also vital that people who are eligible come forward for their flu, Covid-19 or RSV vaccines this winter.
“Vaccines offer the best possible protection against serious illness, and getting vaccinated not only protects you, but helps protect your friends and family too.”
