A heart attack survivor has spoken out about the importance of seeking medical attention in an emergency situation despite the coronavirus outbreak.

Chris West, known to many as the organiser of Classic Music and Motor shows, is making the plea after an almost 50% drop in the number of people attending east Kent hospitals with cardiac symptoms.

He has credited both ambulance and hospital staff for saving his life, and wants to promote the safety precautions being taken.

He said: “The message I want to get over is that the normal work is still going on with the NHS. I received excellent care and the cleanliness in the hospital was second to none.

“These people in the NHS are saving lives – not only for coronavirus victims but for everyone.

“If it wasn’t for Ben the paramedic and the driver, a young lady called Charlene, who drove like Lewis Hamilton, I might not still be there.

“I can’t thank everyone enough who was involved in saving my life.”

Mr West, from Deal, started experiencing pain in his arms after returning from a six-mile bike ride. His wife dialled 111 for medical advice and an ambulance was despatched.

After tests, crews took him to the QEQM Hospital in Margate, where another test revealed he was suffering a heart attack.

He was transferred to the William Harvey Hospital for life-saving PPCI treatment to insert a tube to unblock the arteries leading to his heart. He then spent three days on a ward.

Mr West said: “The service was just brilliant, from start to finish. The emergency department was so efficient and at Ashford they took me straight to the cardiac catheter unit and the doctors started working on me immediately.

“The ward was a really safe environment and I had no concerns being in there whatsoever.

“I would say to anyone else don’t be worried about going to hospital. They are there for you just like always.”

It echoes a message from the chief medical officer Chris Witty, last week, who stressed that the NHS still has capacity to deal with other serious medical emergencies.

He suggested that those who ignored accessing help would only be adding to the country's rate of mortality.

And that it would be "sad" if the resources put aside were not used.

East Kent Hospitals’ Consultant cardiologist Paula Mota said: “We are seeing fewer people than we would normally, and this is a huge concern. Numbers have dropped by almost a half.

“It may be that people are worried about the dangers of COVID-19, but the heart can be severely damaged if someone is not treated quickly, with actually a greater risk to their lives than COVID-19.

“We are continuing to provide the same emergency service for people with suspected heart attacks, and we are working to keep everyone safe, so we do encourage people to seek help if they need it.”

Paramedics will be able to run tests that will immediately show whether a patient needs hospital treatment – and if they do, the earlier the treatment is received, the quicker someone recovers.

Read more: All the latest news from Deal