MORE patients visited A&E at Northumbria Healthcare last month, with demand rising well above the levels seen during the first national lockdown last year. NHS England figures show 17,333 patients visited A&E at Northumbria Healthcare hospitals in April - a rise of 15 per cent on the 15,019 visits recorded during March and nearly double the 8,744 patients seen in April the previous year. The figures also show attendances were below the levels seen before the coronavirus pandemic; in April 2019, there were 19,259 visits to A&E at Northumbria Healthcare. The majority of attendances last month were via minor A&E departments – those which treat minor injuries and illnesses such as fractures, cuts and bruises – while 46 per cent were via major departments, with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care.