THE number of people visiting Colchester Hospital’s accident and emergency department fell by 35 per cent last month when compared with December 2019.

Hospital bosses are urging patients to continue to visit hospital if they are need of urgent care, after figures showed a sharp drop in attendance numbers in December.

Across the month, 8,190 people visited the accident and emergency department, including the urgent treatment centre and minor injury units at Clacton and Harwich hospitals.

In December 2019, 12,657 patients used these services.

Neill Moloney, managing director of East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Colchester and Ipswich hospitals, said: “People must come to hospital if they are very unwell and need urgent or emergency care.

“If you think you need A&E, but it’s not an emergency, do call NHS 111 first. Their expert team of call handlers can support you and if you need urgent care, they will book you in to be seen quickly and safely.

“Elective work is carrying on at our hospitals where possible, but as with NHS trusts up and down the country, we are having to delay some elective work so we can safely care for Covid-19 patients and our patients who need emergency and urgent care too.

“Any decision to cancel an elective procedure is carefully considered and those decisions are made by the clinical speciality team involved in a patient’s care.”