The number of admissions to A&E at hospitals in Bristol and Weston-super-Mare has dropped to its lowest figure on record in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, new figures show.
The data published by NHS England has led to one senior doctor warning of a 'ticking timebomb' of untreated illnesses.
A total of 11,641 admissions to A&Es at Southmead Hospital, Bristol Royal Infirmary and Weston General Hospital were made in April. That is 51 per cent down from 23,997 attendances in April last year.
The data for emergency admissions to the hospitals also showed big drops.
At University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, which run both the BRI and Weston General, there were 3,106 admissions in April 2020 compared to 4,965 in April 2019 meaning a percentage decrease of 37 per cent.
And at North Bristol NHS Trust, which runs Southmead, there were 3,041 emergency admissions in April 2020 compared to 4,955 back in April 2019, meaning there has been a percentage decrease of 38 per cent.
Nationally, 0.9 million A&E attendances were recorded in April 2020, down 57 per cent from 2.1 million in April 2019.
Dr Nick Scriven, immediate past president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said the drop in A&E attendances was “a significant concern” and people’s conditions may have worsened as a result.
“This is a ticking timebomb in itself and it will be exacerbated by a myriad of other pressures in the coming weeks,” he said.
“There will be an ongoing need to keep people with coronavirus separate from others to prevent transmission, with segregated wards effectively reducing immediately available beds, so attempting to manage increased demand will be very challenging.
“I am also highly concerned about the resilience of staff who have been working flat out with little time for recovery, which means they will continue to suffer personal sacrifice as we move through the stages of this crisis.”
NHS England said the fall was “likely to be a result of the Covid-19 response” – an indication that people have been staying away from A&E departments because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Separate figures also show the volume of calls to the NHS 111 service in April were up slightly on the same month in 2019, following a big spike in March.
An average of 55,200 calls a day were made in April 2020, 14% higher than the average of 48,400 a day in April 2019.
This compares with an average of 95,600 calls a day in March 2020 – more than double the average for March 2019.
NHS England said NHS 111 service levels had been heavily affected by increased demand caused by coronavirus, but that figures so far for May showed a return to call volumes only slightly higher than the demand expected at this time of year.
