As of this morning – Friday May 15 – the current recorded case count for COVID-19 (coronavirus) in the UK has hit 233,151 with 33,614 deaths.
Visits to A&E departments across England have plummeted to the lowest level on record amid the continued novel coronavirus pandemic.
According to NHS data, there were 917,000 A&E attendances in April 2020, marking a decrease of 56.6% in from a year ago.
Similarly, there was a 39% drop in emergency admissions in April 2020, marking the lowest number of emergency admissions reported since records began.
Also of note, at the end of March 2020, 79.7% of patients waiting to start treatment were waiting up to 18 weeks, falling well outside of the 92% standard.
The figures show major changes to how the public uses the NHS, according to the NHS Confederation, but it notes “concern among leaders that the public are now not seeking help when they need it”.
“The NHS is still open for business, and services that were put on pause because of COVID-19 are also being resumed slowly, but leaders and their staff will need time and support to manage that, so that they can continue to do what’s best for the communities they serve,” said NHS Confederation director Dr Layla McCay.
“It will of course take a long time to address the waiting lists challenge, including for key issues like cancer treatment, as a record number of patients were waiting over two months after an urgent GP referral.
“This must be done sustainably, so that the staff who have been working almost unceasingly throughout this crisis can recover and cope, while prioritising those most in need. It’s also clear that we cannot to go back to how things were – this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reset the NHS, and we must seize it.”
WASH YOUR HANDS:
Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water.
MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING:
Maintain at least two metres (six feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
STAY AT HOME:
Only go outside for food, health reasons or work (but only if you cannot work from home).
