Dramatic drop in patients attending Forth Valley Royal's A&E

The number of people attending A&E at Forth Valley Royal Hospital has halved during the coronavirus crisis.
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Normally at this time of year , around 1300 people would attend every week, but latest figures show that it has dropped to 598 for the week ending March 28.

The previous week the figure had been 836 but in the seven days before that it had been 1215.

And in the same week in 2019 it had been 1313.

While hospital staff are urging people to follow social isolation guidelines they also urge anyone who becomes unwell to seek treatmentWhile hospital staff are urging people to follow social isolation guidelines they also urge anyone who becomes unwell to seek treatment
While hospital staff are urging people to follow social isolation guidelines they also urge anyone who becomes unwell to seek treatment
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Hospital chiefs have said that there have been less workplace and sporting injuries coming through the doors of the Larbert hospital’s A&E department.

They added that had helped as the NHS prepared to deal with the expected influx of coronavirus patients.

There is a similar picture across the country with A&E staff dealing with much reduced numbers of casualties and walking wounded.

However, health chiefs have urged people not to ignore symptoms of other critical health conditions during the coronavirus pandemic.They are urging anyone who feels seriously unwell to seek early treatment.Patients are also being reminded to continue taking any prescribed medication and attend all appointments unless their doctor or a member of their care team tells them otherwise.Professor Hany Eteiba, a consultant cardiologist at the Golden Jubilee Hospital in Clydebank, said: “The unintended consequence during a pandemic is that people fail to seek timely medical help for other conditions.“We are noticing that patients with acute cardiac symptoms are waiting longer at home before seeking medical care, putting their life at risk.“We know that people may not wish to place what they might perceive as an unnecessary burden on the NHS, but the risk of developing serious or life-threatening conditions remains unchanged.“We want to reassure the public that the NHS remains available and well-equipped to provide care for these patients and that it is okay to leave your home for medical reasons.“It is extremely important that people seek medical help for acute heart and lung or cancer as early as possible. Failing to seek help when it is essential may place your health, and even your life, at risk.”UK and Scottish Government guidance allows people to leave their homes in order to access medical care.If you become acutely unwell and believe that you are suffering from a serious or life-threatening condition, you should seek appropriate help through NHS111, 999 or accident and emergency.

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Patients should continue with treatments for all medical conditions and attend any hospital or GP appointments that are requested. Routine care is being carried out, where possible, through telephone calls or video links so you will not be asked to attend unless absolutely necessary.