Use of A&E in Wigan rising again but some patients still staying away

The latest statistics show there were 9,261 attendances at the borough’s accident and emergency facilities last month, with 6,428 at Wigan Infirmary’s A&E unit and 2,833 at the walk-in centre at Leigh.

All these numbers are an increase on the May data which showed there were 8,094 attendances, 5,860 at Wigan Infirmary’s A&E and 2,234 at the walk-in centre.

And these in turn were considerably larger than the numbers who went to A&E in April, suggesting residents are gradually seeking out medical help again as the most severe levels of the Covid-19 pandemic in the borough begin to recede.

However the figures are still significantly lower than last year, down 25% on June 2019.

WWL has in recent weeks put out messages encouraging residents to come to hospital if they need to do so, following fears that people who should be seeing doctors were not turning up for fear of the coronavirus.

Across the country attendance levels remain much lower than in 2019, with NHS England saying the pandemic is the cause.

Hospitals had feared the reopening of pubs on July 4 may have led to emergency departments being overwhelmed.

But Dr Katherine Henderson, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said these fears “thankfully do not seem to have come to pass”.

“We appreciate the common sense of the public and thank the majority for following the rules so that they could enjoy their evening out in a responsible, sensible way,” she said.

Figures on the number of attendances at A&E over the so-called Super Saturday will not be known for a number of weeks, she added.

The data is recorded as attendances as the same person may visit A&E more than once in a month.

The overwhelming majority of those going to A&E in June at WWL were admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours, the latest figures show.

A total of 96.2 per cent patients received medical help within that time frame, with 94.6 per cent being seen inside four hours at A&E and 99.9 per cent at the walk-in centre.

However, while this is still above the national target of 95 per cent it was a very slight drop on the May percentage, albeit that involved smaller numbers of patients.

Altogether there were 2,795 emergency admissions to the borough’s hospitals in June, with 2,647 of those coming through A&E.

Of those 71 had to wait more than four hours from the decision to admit them to actually being admitted to a bed, but no-one had to wait for more than 12 hours.

Dr Sanjay Arya, WWL’s Medical Director, said: “People are so scared of Covid-19 that those with heart attacks, strokes, cancer patients and pregnant ladies, are reluctant to come to hospital, and in doing so are causing themselves harm.

“It is important that these patients seek help.

“Staying in the house is very important, but if you are feeling very ill you should call 111, explain your symptoms and they will give you the appropriate advice.”