Attendance at A & E, drops, but Shadow Health Minister says ‘Patients should still attend if they are seriously ill’

The latest batch of NHS Wales waiting time figures – published today – are the first that have been released since the full Covid-19 (Coronavirus) lockdown came into force.

StatsWales, which published the figures, will exclude performance related summaries perhaps until at least October.

The figures indicate that the average number of A & E attendances per day in March was 2,037, which represents a 24.4 percent drop from the preceding month (657 fewer attendances per day on average).

This is 29.3 percent lower than in March 2019 (843 fewer attendances per day on average), and overall, that’s 30,000 fewer attendances since March 2019. The figures indicate that the biggest drops in age seem to be around children and young people, while the drop in female attendances was slightly higher than male at 34.7 percent to 33.4 percent respectively.

Commenting, the Shadow Health Minister – Angela Burns AM – said:

“Fewer attendances at A & E departments reduces the pressure on NHS Wales staff, who are working hard to defeat Coronavirus.

“However, patients with health problems should not stay away because of concerns around Coronavirus.

“The advice from medical professionals remains the same: if you feel seriously unwell, be it a heart attack, stroke, or an injury, then you should still attend A & E for treatment, because a patient presenting with something serious could actually put more strain on resources – and risk their life – by delaying.”