March was the quietest month in A&E since NHS records began because of Britain’s coronavirus crisis, figures today show.
Casualty departments in England recorded just 1.53million attendances last month, down 430,000 – 22 per cent – on February.
The number is also 630,000 lower (29 per cent) than March 2019, when 2.17million visits were made to A&E for urgent care.
February 2011 held the previous record for the quietest month in A&E, with just 1.6million attendances, according to NHS England data.
Health chiefs admitted the fall was ‘likely to be a result of COVID-19’, which has killed more than 7,000 Britons.
Emergency medics have warned patients are avoiding hospitals out of fear they will catch or spread the deadly coronavirus.
But A&E doctors say casualty units are still open for business and people must use them if they believe they or their child is seriously ill.
Data from Public Health England also showed the number of people seen in hospital with a suspected heart attack has halved since the beginning of March.
Casualty departments in England recorded just 1.53million attendances last month, down 430,000 – 22 per cent – on February and 630,000 – 29 per cent – on March 2019
Casualty departments in England recorded just 1.53million attendances last month
The British Heart Foundation said thousands of people with heart attack symptoms may be apprehensive to visit A&E due to fears over coronavirus.
But it warned they were at greater risk of suffering long-term heart damage, needing intensive care, or even dying as a result.
The number of people attending A&E with heart attack symptoms dropped from 300 per day at the beginning of March, to 150 by the end of March.
According to the BHF, this 50 per cent drop is the equivalent to approximately 5,000 people every month – or more than 1,100 people every week.
Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, consultant cardiologist and associate medical director at the BHF, said: ‘Heart attacks don’t stop for a global pandemic.
‘Don’t delay because you think hospitals are too busy – the NHS still has systems in place to treat people for heart attacks and they are still a top priority.’
Dr Ramzi Khamis, co-head of cardiology at Hammersmith Hospital, said: ‘We want to stress that we have the staff, equipment and resources to treat heart attacks.
‘With swift diagnosis and treatment, most people with heart attacks will recover and go on to live a healthy life.
‘However, delays in treatment puts lives at risk, and will result in more pressure on the NHS, not less.’
Deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery, said: ‘The figures released today show that in March there was a significant drop in A&E attendances, likely because people are thinking carefully before going in.
‘We absolutely support the advice to stay at home unless necessary, but it is vital that those patients who need it still access emergency care.’
Separate figures from NHS England show a big increase in the volume of calls to the NHS 111 service last month.
An average of 95,600 calls a day were made in March 2020, more than double the average of 46,700 a day in March 2019.
Just under a third (30.2 per cent) of calls to NHS 111 last month were answered within 60 seconds. In March 2019 the equivalent figure was 85 per cent.
NHS England said service levels for NHS 111 have been affected since the middle of February by increased demand caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
The figures also show the proportion of calls last month abandoned after waiting at least 30 seconds was 38.7 per cent. The figure for March 2019 was 2.4 per cent.
NHS England’s national medical director last night urged Britons to keep using the health service if they need emergency care.
Professor Stephen Powis said in yesterday’s Downing Street briefing: ‘The NHS has worked might and day to surge capacity to manage coronavirus.
‘It’s also there for you if you have symptoms of a stroke, symptoms of a heart attack… You should be seeking emergency services just as you always have done.’
His concerns were echoed by Scotland’s interim chief medical officer, who said the NHS was ‘eerily quiet’ for illnesses apart from COVID-19.
It comes after MailOnline last week revealed that the number of people going to A&E had plummeted by almost half in just a month.
Snapshot statistics provided by 50 hospitals showed the number of emergency visits fell 43 per cent in the last week of March compared to the first.
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine, which collected the figures, said people may be avoiding hospitals because of coronavirus fears.
Dr Katherine Henderson, president of the RCEM, said: ‘It is really important people with potentially serious conditions still access healthcare.’
‘Delaying going to hospital for something such as appendicitis may lead to bigger and avoidable problems both for the individual and for the health service.’