More patients visited Great Western Hospital last month with demand rising above the levels seen in March last year.

NHS England figures show 8,182 patients visited A&E at Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in March 2021.

That was a rise of 34 per cent on the 6,108 visits recorded during February, and six per cent more than the 7,723 patients seen in March the previous year.

At GWH there were:

- 368 booked appointments, up from 234 in February

- 88 per cent of arrivals were seen within four hours, against an NHS target of 95%

- 247 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit

- Of those, one was delayed by more than 12 hours

Separate data reveals that in February:

- The median time to treatment was 59 minutes

- Around two per cent of patients left before being treated

The majority of attendances last month nationsllywere via major A&E departments – those with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care – while 44 per cent were via minor injury units.

Across England, A&E departments received 1.7 million visits last month.

That was an increase of 32 per cent compared to February, and 10 per cent more than the 1.5 million seen during March 2020.