The message is clear: even with coronavirus circulating and the nation on lockdown, people can still visit A&E if they urgently need to.

Reasons to go A&E

You, or anyone in your household, should go to A&E – either in the car or via ambulance – if experiencing the following:

• Loss of consciousness, which can be a sign of a problem with the brain.

• Acute confused state and fits that are not stopping.

• Chest pain, which could be a sign of a heart attack. You should call 999 if the pain spreads to your arms, back, neck or jaw; makes your chest feel tight or heavy; if the pain also started with shortness of breath, sweating and feeling or being sick; or if it lasts more than 15 minutes.

• Breathing difficulties.

• Severe bleeding that cannot be stopped.

• Severe allergic reactions – the symptoms include: feeling lightheaded or faint; breathing difficulties such as fast, shallow breathing; wheezing; a fast heartbeat; clammy skin; confusion and anxiety; collapsing or losing consciousness.

• Severe burns or scalds.

• Stroke, of which the key symptoms are: drooping of the face; inability to lift arms because of weakness or numbness; slurred or garbled speech, they might also not be able to talk despite appearing awake.

• Major trauma such as a road traffic accident.

• Abdominal pain that suddenly gets worse and spreads across the abdomen, or abdominal pain which temporarily improves before getting worse again. This could be a sign of appendicitis or a burst appendix, which can have life-threatening complications.