If you need medical help, don’t shy away from hospital

NHS to urge injured or unwell people not to be afraid of treatment as A&E numbers fall dramatically

ATTENDANCES at A&E units have plummeted by around half in less than two months, figures show, amid concern those in desperate need are still not going to hospital.

The statistics emerged as the head of the NHS urged the public to seek urgent care and treatment if they need it.

Around four in 10 hospital beds now lie empty, following efforts to clear wards in case they became overwhelmed by coronavirus.

This week health officials will announce plans to better use some of the capacity, in order to cut the numbers dying from other conditions.

The figures, from Public Health England, for the week ending April 19, show around 7,500 people a day now turning to A&E departments.

The figure was around 14,000 at the start of this March, with similar patterns seen in the same week in April last year, the records show.

The number of people presenting at A&E with suspected heart attacks and other cardiac problems has also fallen significantly over the same period, from around 350 a day in February, to fewer than 200 a day now.

And up to 2,700 cancers may be being missed every week, because patients are not seeing their GP, charities have warned.

A public information campaign – including digital adverts, posters and social media featuring NHS staff – will be rolled out this week urging people to get the help they need.

The advice will tell the public to contact their GP or the 111 service if they have urgent care needs – or 999 in emergencies – and to attend hospital if they are advised to.

Yesterday, Labour MP Rosena Allinkhan, who is an A&E doctor, was among those calling on people not to avoid hospitals if they need medical help. “We’re waiting for you,” she said.

Last week, in the first “virtual” sitting of the Commons, Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, urged patients with health problems to come forward for treatment, amid concern about the “collateral” damage caused by the virus, with death rates now the highest for two decades.

He said he wanted to send the message “loud and clear to people who have suspected conditions that they should come forward”.

He said: “If you think you might have a lump that might be a cancer you should come forward now, and you will be safely and properly treated in the NHS. The same goes if you have a suspected heart attack or stroke, we have the systems in place to make sure that if you come to the NHS, you will be looked after and protected.”

And he said the Government would “gradually reopen” the rest of the NHS to start carrying out routine operations as soon as possible.

Recent polling found that four in 10 people are too concerned about being a burden on the NHS to seek help from their GP.

Seeking medical help is one of the four reasons that people can safely leave home, in line with government guidance.

Sir Simon Stevens said the NHS is still there for patients without coronavirus who need urgent and emergency services for stroke, heart attack, and other killer conditions.

He said: “While NHS staff have pulled out all the stops to deal with coronavirus, they have also worked hard to ensure that patients who don’t have Covid-19 can safely access essential services.

“So whether you or a loved one have the symptoms of a heart attack or stroke, are a parent worried about their child or have concerns about conditions such as cancer, you should seek help in the way you always would.

“Ignoring problems can have serious consequences – now or in the future,” he said.

Last week, Cancer Research UK warned that the number of patients being referred by doctors for urgent hospital appointments or checks for cancer had dropped by 75 per cent since the start of the coronavirus out- break.

Sarah Woolnough, from the charity, said about 2,300 cancers were being missed every week as a result, and many patients’ operable cancers would become inoperable if they remained undetected.

Separate figures estimate that another 400 cancers a week are being missed because screening for breast, cervical and bowel cancer has been suspended.