FEWER patients visited A&E at the Dorset Hospitals Trust last month – and attendances were lower than in December last year, figures reveal.

NHS England figures show 14,196 patients visited A&E at University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust in December.

That was a drop of five per cent on the 14,927 visits recorded during November, and 15 per cent lower than the 16,622 patients seen by the trust's two predecessors in December the previous year.

The Trust covers the royal Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole hospitals.

A total of 483 patients waited longer than four hours for treatment following a decision to admit.

The majority of attendances last month were via major A&E departments – those with full resuscitation equipment and 24-hour consultant-led care – while 11 per cent were via minor injury units.

Meanwhile, around eight per cent were via consultant-led departments with single specialties, such as eye conditions or dental problems.

Across England, A&E departments received 1.5 million visits last month.

That was a decrease of one per cent compared to November, and 32 per cent fewer than the 2.2 million seen during December 2019.

The NHS said the drop in attendances nationally is "likely to be a result of the Covid-19 response".