Record numbers of patients at Epsom and St Helier

New figures show that Epsom and St Helier hospitals saw a record number of patients last year, with more than 896,230 patients coming to the trust for treatment in 2015 – that’s an increase of more than 11,000 people compared to 2014.

The staggering total of outpatients, inpatients and A&E attendances, means that 2,455 patients and parents-to-be came through the hospital doors every single day. Expert staff in the hospital’s 24/7 A&E departments saw 146,842 urgent cases, with 31,270 patients coming to the units by emergency ambulance.

Our maternity units welcomed 4,959 babies to the world, with 3,029 born at St Helier and 1,979 delivered at Epsom – and that’s not including home births!

Chief Executive, Daniel Elkeles, said: “We are really proud of the work we do – our staff and volunteers are dedicated to making sure that our patients are well cared for and their friends and family are supported. And, with such high demand for our services, I am delighted to say that the hard work is paying off.

“I would like to thank all of our staff and volunteers for their hard work during the course of the past 12 months – despite the high number of patients using our services; their commitment to the cause has ensured we can continue to provide high quality, compassionate care.”

To keep up with the rise in patient numbers, the trust has recruited 303 nurses since April 2015 and appointed 36 new consultants. Daniel added: “We’re here to serve the community – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and will do whatever we have to in order to keep up with demand. Although 2015 was a very busy year, we’re expecting to see a further increase in the number of patients coming to us this year, and look forward to the challenge.”