A&E numbers in most deprived areas double that of richest

Higher A&E attendances amoung the poorest areas not down to reduced GP access, says the Royal College of Emergency Medicine

Non-emergency line will be promoted to ease pressure on paramedics and A&E [file photo] (EPA)

Patients in the poorest parts of England attend A&E at double the rate of those in the richest parts, new NHS data shows.

Statistics for A&E waits in 2021-22 showed 976, 284 patients waited more than 12 hours from arrival last year - a threefold increase compared to 2020-21 when 302,784 were recorded.

NHS Digital, which published the report, said it did not include 15,900 reports of patients waiting longer than 72 hours in 2021-22, as “it is considered unlikely that a patient would be in A&E for longer than 72 hours”.