A&E attendances twice as high for people in the most deprived areas

Accident and Emergency (A&E) attendances were twice as high for people in the most deprived areas of England in 2018/19.

Figures published between NHS Digital, NHS England and NHS Improvement reveals A&E activity in English NHS hospitals and English NHS-commissioned activity in the independent sector.

It was found that in 2018/19 there were 24.8 million attendances in A&E, a 4% increase from 2017/18 and 21% since 2009/10.

There were more than twice as many attendances to A&E departments in England for the 10% of the population living in the most deprived areas (3.1 million), compared with the least deprived 10% (1.5 million).

Figures also showed that 88% of patient attendances spent four hours or less in A&E. At a national level, the 95% standard set in the NHS Constitution has not been met annually since 2013/14.