Hundreds more people attended Medway NHS Foundation Trust’s A&E this July, compared with 2017, which health bosses said was an "unprecedented summer surge" due to the heatwave.

NHS England figures show that 10,867 people attended the trust’s emergency departments last month, 286 more than in July 2017.

Nationally record numbers of people flooded to emergency departments in July, with respiratory problems, dehydration and other illnesses associated with the hot weather.

Across England almost 2.2 million patients attended A&E in July, 100,000 more patients than the same month in 2017, with emergency admissions also rising by 6.3%.

An NHS England spokesman said: “As temperatures soared, the NHS saw an unprecedented summer surge last month with a record 2.2 million patients attending A&E, and, thanks to the hard work of staff, nine in 10 people were seen, treated and admitted or discharged within four hours."

At Medway NHS Foundation Trust 80.6% of people were seen, treated and admitted or discharged within the four hour target period.

That's down on July 2017 when 88.5% were dealt with in four hours. Hospitals are supposed to admit or discharge 95% of patients within the target time. Three years ago 86.7% were seen within four hours.

James Devine, Deputy Chief Executive of Medway NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Like many hospitals, we are having a busy summer with a high number of people coming to our Emergency Department, and I would like to apologise to any patients who have faced a longer wait for treatment in recent weeks.

"Our staff are working incredibly hard to ensure that patients across the hospital are receiving appropriate and timely care so that they spend as little time in hospital as necessary.”

Nick Scriven, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said the increased admissions during the heatwave had given staff no respite from the pressures and stresses of winter.

"What is of particular concern now, however, is that the summer months are traditionally the time acute hospitals and frontline staff have to recharge the batteries - this year we have had no respite and draining conditions.

"Last year NHS leaders admitted it took until October to recover from winter 2017 and we are now only a few months away from the next onslaught."