Patients could be turned away from A&E if their condition is not life-threatening as Covid cases soar across the country.

Hundreds are flocking every day to use the emergency service at Northampton General Hospital and Kettering General Hospital.

But bosses say a ‘significant amount, particularly young people, have relatively minor problems’.

It comes amid ‘serious concern’ of more young people being hospitalised with coronavirus after Boris Johnson lifted nearly all restrictions in England.

The UK recorded 44,104 new cases and 73 Covid-related deaths on Wednesday after ‘Freedom Day’ saw clubs open and the rule of six ditched.

Northampton and Kettering saw 38 coronavirus patients fill beds on Tuesday – an increase from 26 four days before.

Kettering General Hospital’s Clinical Director for Urgent Care, Dr Adrian Ierina, said: ‘Both hospitals are seeing a very high number of attendances at A&E and this is creating pressure across all departments.

‘The NHS locally is very busy and we please ask people to think about the best place for their care instead of using our A&E services.’

NGH Chief Operating Officer Jo Fawcus said medics ‘need the support of our local community so that we can concentrate on those people who need our care the most’.

She added: ‘We are continuing to see hundreds attending the two A&E departments at Northampton and Kettering each day, a significant number of them with relatively minor problems.

‘At the same time, we are seeing Covid-19 infections are again rising across the county – and the numbers of people, especially younger people needing to be hospitalised with it, which is a serious concern.’

It comes after three hospitals in Scotland declared rare ‘code black’ alerts, with all non-urgent elective operations postponed.

The Government announced yesterday NHS staff in England will receive a 3% pay rise, backdated to April, as a thank you for their hard work during the pandemic.

Unions have slammed the pay offer, naming it ‘insulting’, ‘grossly inadequate’ and ‘frankly appalling’.

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