Dramatic drop in patients attending A&E at Fife's Victoria Hospital

People are risking their lives by avoiding A&E departments during the coronavirus crisis, charities have warned.

The pandemic has seen a dramatic fall in the number of patients going to emergency departments, official figures show, prompting growing concern among health chiefs.

In a press conference on Monday, UK health secretary Matt Hancock expressed alarm at the decline in people going to A&Es.

He said: “If you are worried about chest pains, for instance, maybe you might be having a heart attack or a stroke, or you feel a lump and you are worried about cancer, or you are a parent concerned about your child, please come forward and seek help as you always would.”

In Fife, the number of patients attending A&E at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy has dropped by more than half in the four weeks to April 19, compared with the same period last year.

The number of people attending the hospital’s A&E department in the last four weeks has been 2084, compared to 5228 in the same period last year – that’s a 60 per cent reduction.

Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, warned that delaying treatment in an emergency could leave people with far more serious health problems.

“Heart attacks and strokes are medical emergencies and treating them remains a top priority for the NHS,” she said.

“Research has led to several effective treatments for heart attacks, but if you delay, you are more likely to suffer serious heart damage and more likely to need intensive care and to spend longer in hospital.”

Dr Babu-Narayan added that delaying treatment for a stroke “could leave you with a disability that could have been avoided”.

“People should not let fear of the coronavirus, or of being a burden to a hospital, deter them calling 999 when they suffer heart attack or stroke symptoms.”

Health chiefs are urging people not to ignore symptoms of other critical health conditions during the coronavirus pandemic.

Anyone who feels seriously unwell is urged to seek early treatment.

Patients are also being reminded to continue taking any prescribed medication and attend all appointments unless their doctor or a member of their care team tells them otherwise.

A Scottish Government spokesperson stressed that “the NHS is open”.

“We urge anyone with concerns about their health, or that of their children, to seek help.”

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