[Bar Graph] Hospital Attendance in Northern Ireland

The chart below shows figures for attendances at hospital emergency care departments in Northern Ireland by age group in December 2016 and December 2017.

The provided bar chart compares the number of emergency visits to hospitals in Northern Ireland by demographic over a one year period. 

Overall, the number of visits per 1000-population rose across the board from December 2016 to December 2017. In addition, what is most striking when looking at the age brackets surveyed is the preeminence of the under 5 and 75 and above demographics in terms of attendance levels.

In December of 2016, more than 60 out of 1000 people aged 75 and over sought emergency care, while the attendance of children under 5 came second at 50 out of 1000. Exactly one year later, both numbers registered a slight uptick; whereas the former increased by 10 cases, the later rose by 5. 

Among the remaining age groups, attendance levels were much less substantial. In detail, between ages 16 to 74, the number of visits were relatively comparable both in 2016 and 2017. Of these, individuals 16 to 44 years of age and those between 65 to 74 averaged around 30 visits per 1000-population in December 2016, with negligible growth the following year, while figures for the 45 to 64 demographic were always marginally lower. Finally, only among the 5-15 age bracket were attendance levels the lowest in both years, never surpassing 25 visits per 1000 people.

The bar chart illustrates the number of visits to hospital emergency wards in Northern Ireland across six age categories during December of 2016 and 2017. 

Overall, both elderly individuals and the youngest children constituted the most frequent visitors to A&E (accident and emergency) departments. Additionally, there was a slight uptick in the rate of emergency care attendances across all age groups from December 2016 to December 2017.

Beginning with the older age groups, approximately 65 out of every 1000 individuals aged 75 and over sought A&E care in December 2016, increasing to nearly 70 attendances per 1000 population one year later. Notably, those aged 65 to 74 were less than half as likely to require emergency treatment, with around 30 attendances per 1000 population in both months.

Conversely, visits from children under 5 years old exhibited a marginal rise from around 50 to approximately 52 per 1000 population over the one-year period. Children aged 5 to 15 made the fewest visits, at just over 20 per 1000 population in both months. Lastly, there was minimal variance in the figures for emergency care attendances among individuals aged 16 to 44, 45 to 64, and 65 to 74, with comparable rates observed in both months.

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