Patients Clogging A&e With Hiccups, Sore Throats And Other Niggles

Patients are being warned not to clog up A&E pinch mundane niggles arsenic NHS figures show thousands turned to hospitals for insignificant ailments specified arsenic hiccups and ingrowing toenails past winter.

There were much than 200,000 A&E attendances successful England from November to February for conditions that could person been dealt pinch elsewhere, according to NHS England.

This represents much than 2% of each attendances during that four-month period, taking up captious resources astatine under-pressure A&Es, wellness bosses said.

Patients pinch specified insignificant conditions are being advised to activity thief elsewhere, including from pharmacists, GPs and NHS 111 – either via nan telephone aliases online – arsenic immoderate of them tin beryllium managed astatine home.

Between 1 November 2024 and 28 February 2025, NHS figures show location were:

• 6,382 visits for nasal congestion
• 83,705 visits for earache
• 96,998 visits for sore throats
• 3,890 visits for ingrowing nails
• 8,669 for itching skin
• 384 for hiccups

The attendances were to either awesome A&E units aliases insignificant wounded units tally by hospitals.

Research shows 1 of nan factors driving unnecessary A&E visits is trouble accessing GP services, pinch latest figures showing much than a 5th of patients cannot get done to their GP connected nan time they try.

NHS England said patients tin get prescription-only medicine – traditionally dispensed by GPs – astatine pharmacies for a scope of communal conditions, including a sore throat, sinusitis and earache.

It is besides releasing a video entitled '24 Hours Not In A&E' arsenic portion of a societal media run to thief debar unnecessary visits to A&E departments and GPs.

NHS England urgent and emergency attraction head Julian Redhead said: "The past spot a diligent wants to beryllium erstwhile they person a insignificant unwellness is successful a engaged A&E – truthful this wintertime we're moving difficult to grow nan number of routes into nan NHS truthful patients tin get accelerated and convenient attraction person to them.

"Whether nan services are online, complete nan telephone aliases successful person, a assortment of doorways to attraction are unfastened crossed nan NHS.

"As always, usage A&E & 999 for life-threatening conditions and superior injuries."

GP Dr Ellie Cannon, who appears successful NHS England's societal media video, said patients should retrieve they tin interaction their GP done their websites alternatively than relying connected telephone lines.

"Knowing wherever to get nan attraction you request tin make each nan difference," she said.

"It's communal for group to default to nan 8am scramble for a GP appointment, aliases spell to A&E, arsenic it's what feels astir acquainted – but location are galore acold much convenient and quicker ways to grip your wellness interest while you get connected pinch your day."

She said contacting GPs done their websites could beryllium quicker and easier alongside utilizing pharmacies and NHS 111.

GP practices successful England were ordered to connection online booking from October and figures released this week show much than 98% now do. Those systems let patients to inquire questions arsenic good arsenic petition appointments.

But nan alteration has provoked guidance from nan British Medical Association (BMA) which has warned it could put patients astatine consequence because GPs could go overwhelmed assessing online queries.

It comes arsenic nan NHS successful England starts to people its wintertime monitoring statistic connected Thursday. They will supply a snapshot of really hospitals are coping, including nan number of patients connected wards pinch flu, really agelong ambulances are queuing for extracurricular A&E and furniture occupancy rates.

Last month, NHS England main executive Sir Jim Mackey warned this wintertime could beryllium 1 of nan toughest nan wellness work has faced arsenic rates of flu started rising early amid what appears to nan dispersed of a terrible strain.

The NHS is besides facing nan imaginable of more strikes by resident doctors, who were antecedently called inferior doctors.

BMA members are staging a five-day walkout from 17 December.