The NHS in Leeds is urging people suffering from illnesses to continue attending hospitals and GP surgeries throughout the Covid-19 lockdown.
It follows pleas to the public to continue to use the NHS, as there is a growing concern that the coronavirus outbreak is causing people to avoid contacting healthcare services.
The NHS Leeds CCG has warned such behaviour could lead to a “dangerous life or limb-threatening” delay in seeking urgent medical attention.
Leeds mum Gloria Foster says she wants to remind parents and carers of the importance of seeking medical help if a child is unwell or is inured. Her 21-month-old son, Nolan, needed urgent medical attention after falling through a gap in a bench.
'At that moment I knew I had to seek medical attention'
Gloria said: “I’d seen the message from the local NHS as well as the national media, encouraging people to access NHS emergency services when they need to.
“When my son had fallen through a bench, he hit his head on a flower bed and was a little disorientated when he stood up. At that moment I knew I had to seek medical attention, so I rang NHS 111 and they sent out an ambulance.
“The paramedics were brilliant, and they took my son to children’s A&E at Leeds General Infirmary.
“When arriving, I was asked if either me or my son had symptoms of coronavirus and I told them we didn’t. We were then asked to go to the ‘cold A&E’ which basically meant that patients who showed no symptoms of coronavirus were sent there.”
She said the children’s A&E reassured her that little Nolan was safe from contracting Covid-19, adding: “My message to other parents and carers would be that if a child is unwell, please seek urgent medical care, call your GP practice or NHS 111 as they’ll advise you what to do.
"If it’s life or limb-threatening use NHS emergency services like call 999 or go to children’s A&E at Leeds General Infirmary.”
Her comments come as the NHS continues its #NHShereforyou campaign, which encourages people to continue using the NHS’s services in order to avoid a flood of new patients once lockdown rules have been lifted.
Dr Helen Haywood, a GP and clinical lead for children and young people at NHS Leeds CCG, said: “Families will be staying at home due to the coronavirus and a lot of parents and carers may worry about taking their children out, especially to a GP practice or hospital, but if you are concerned that a child is seriously unwell you must seek urgent medical advice.
“Out of hours services and children’s A&E at Leeds General Infirmary are also working and parents must not delay seeking help when worried as this could put their child’s health at a risk.
“Serious illness, such as a severe asthma attack, pneumonia, appendicitis, meningitis or sepsis need to be picked up and dealt with early to prevent complications which could lead to disability or even, in some tragic cases, death.”
