Fewer patients faced longs waits to be seen in Wigan’s casualty departments or for a bed on a ward last month, new NHS figures reveal.

That came despite a rise in the number of people seeking emergency care throughout March and an increase in emergency admissions.

Staff have been working to improve the performance of Wigan Infirmary’s A&E unit, which includes a new streaming process for walk-in attendances to ensure patients who do not require emergency care are seen at an urgent treatment centre (UTC) instead.

New data from NHS England shows there were 13,504 attendances at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WWL) – 6,876 at A&E and 6,628 at Leigh UTC.

Ambulances outside Wigan Infirmary's A&E department

placeholder image — Ambulances outside Wigan Infirmary's A&E department

That was up from 11,347 attendances in February, with nearly 1,500 extra attendances at the UTC alone in April, and up from 12,790 in March last year.

Across the trust, 78.1 per cent of patients were admitted, transferred or discharged within the target time of four hours, up from 65.0 per cent in February and from 71.7 per cent in March 2025.

At A&E alone, 57.5 per cent of people were seen on time, up from 39.1 per cent the month before and 49.3 per cent in the same month last year.

Across England, 77.1 per cent of patients were seen within four hours, up from 74.1 per cent in February but missing the interim target set by the Government and NHS England for 78 per cent of patients to be seen on time by March.

There were 2,899 emergency admissions at WWL in March, rising from 2,103 in February but dropping from 3,052 in March 2025.

Once the decision to admit was made, 958 patients waited more than four hours for a bed last month, an improvement on 1,176 the month before and 1,621 in March last year.

A total of 407 patients waited more than 12 hours, compared to 520 in March and 475 in March last year.

Meanwhile, the number of people waiting more than 12 hours in A&E departments across England stood at 46,665 in March, down from 54,649 in February.

Sarah Brennan, WWL’s chief operating officer, said: “We have seen a really encouraging improvement throughout March, with more patients being assessed, treated and supported within four hours. Most importantly, we know waiting can be difficult for patients and families, and in March fewer patients faced long waits for a bed and more were able to access the care they needed sooner.

“Thanks to the dedication of our staff, 78 per cent of patients in our emergency department (ED) were treated within four hours, and at our Leigh Infirmary Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) every patient was seen within the four-hour standard. This means patients received faster reassurance, earlier treatment and a smoother journey through our services.

“These improvements place us as the most improved trust for urgent and emergency care in March 2026.

“With the embedding of our system-wide urgent and emergency care transformation programme Better Lives, more patients are being directed to receive the right care, in the right place and in a timely way. This includes the use of our UTCs for conditions that do not require the ED. We do, however, recognise that pressures continue and our focus remains on maintaining patient safety and sustaining these improvements.”