Bank holiday drinking leads to A&E ‘chaos’
SPIKE IN ADMISSIONS AS DOCTOR SAYS WE ARE BACK TO ‘PRE-LOCKDOWN DAYS’
AN A&E doctor has described chaotic scenes in hospital as drink-related incidents and violence spiked with many patients attending after appearing to defy lockdown.
Dr Ben Stewart, a doctor at a North West hospital, said his team were shocked at the numbers of people requiring treatment on Bank Holiday Friday into the early hours of the morning on Saturday.
He described chaotic scenes during his 12.5-hour shift, with many patients being taken to hospital for alcohol or drug related injuries.
The doctor said A&E has been noticeably quieter since the lockdown was introduced, due to people avoiding hospitals because of coronavirus and less people going out drinking.
However, he said it was now back to the ‘pre-lockdown days.’
He told the M.E.N: “The number of alcohol or drug related accidents, violence and crime rocketed last night. The police we saw said it had been their busiest night since New Year’s Eve 2013.
“We knew it was going to be busier than normal. Bank Holidays are always busier.
“The NHS for the last four or five weeks in A&E, it became a lot more quiet. We thought we would see a bit of a peak, but it was just a shock to everybody really.”
The doctor said people were attending for drink-driving injuries, cars flipping over, assaults and even violent stabbings. He said there were still patients coming in with COVID-19 symptoms, but the majority were for drink-related incidents and attended alongside the police.
Dr Stewart said: “You are celebrating defeating a big enemy, but we are back in the same situation now.
“We need to be sensible, but people have got relaxed about it.
“I saw 12 or 13 patients last night, two had COVID-19, one had a headache, the rest were assaults or car accidents.
He added: “It is definitely back to the pre-lockdown days.
“We had seen a drop in footfall with people coming in, which is good as people who are genuinely sick are getting seen at the door.
“People forget that we still have people coming in with coronavirus. They are taking up a lot of our resources.
“But it has gone back to the good old days of everyone getting drunk and relying on A&E.
“I think in the north west we have surpassed London. We knew we would trail behind them, we have probably just peaked. “You don’t climb Everest and open few cans of beer at the top, you don’t stop until you are back at base camp.
“People can have a good time, but we are not through everything yet. There is still a potential second wave, particularly in the north west.”
The doctors comments come after up to 100 people were seen meeting to drink champagne in Salford Quays.
In a separate incident, a man was taken to hospital with a head injury after a ‘violent disturbance’ broke out on Mersey Bank Avenue, in Chorlton, on Saturday morning. Police arrested a 25-year-old man on suspicion of section 18 assault. had
It has gone back to the good old days of everyone getting drunk and relying on A&E Dr Ben Stewart