Plea to public not to use A&E except for emergencies as health service restarts
A NEW campaign is urging the public to stay away from A&E except in emergencies as the NHS restarts.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said using communitybased resources such as pharmacies and minor injuries units would leave frontline medics “free and ready to deal quickly with all of those who needed urgent care”.
The plea comes as figures for the week ending July 5 shows that A&E attendance in Scotland still remains well below pre-pandemic levels.
A total of 20,515 patients were seen in Scotland’s emergency departments, compared to a fiveyear average of 25,492 for the same week.
The number of patients visiting A&E plunged to a record low of just over 11,000 in the week that lockdown was introduced and remained unusually low for weeks.
The dip has prompted fears that people failing to seek help may have contributed to a spike in excess deaths, including 173 more deaths than normal from heart disease and stroke.
Ms Freeman urged the public to use pharmacies for “minor ailments” such as coughs, earache and urinary tract infections, or Minor Injuries Units for “non-life threatening but painful injuries” like deep cuts, a broken or sprained ankle, or a painful burn.
The NHS Inform website, NHS 24, and out-of-hours GP services were also available, she said.
“Of course in an emergency you should always call 999, or go to your nearest A&E,” added Ms Freeman.
“But if we all keep doing what we have been doing, we are helping those emergency doctors and nurses in A&E give you or your loved one the fastest and often life-saving care when it is really needed.”
Dr David Chung, vice president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine in Scotland, said compliance with lockdown and sensible use of the NHS by the public “has gone a long way” to cutting overcrowding in A&E.
The four-hour waiting time target has been met for 95% of patients since April.
He added: “As we begin our phased return back to normality, it is imperative that we act now to ensure our Emergency Departments are available for those who need it the most.”