Patients clogging up A&E with hiccups, sore throats and niggles
Patients are being warned not to overwhelm A&E with everyday problems as NHS figures show thousands of people admitted to hospitals with minor ailments such as hiccups and ingrown toenails last winter.
According to NHS England, there were more than 200,000 A&E attendances in England from November to February for conditions that could have been resolved elsewhere.
Health bosses said this represented more than 2% of all attendances in the four-month period and was draining vital resources from under-pressure A&Es.
Patients with such minor conditions are advised to seek help by phone or online from elsewhere, including pharmacists, GPs and NHS 111, as some of these can be treated at home.
Between 1 November 2024 and 28 February 2025 NHS figures show:
- 6,382 visits due to nasal congestion
- 83,705 visits for earache
- 96,998 visits due to sore throat
- 3,890 visits for ingrown nails
- 8,669 for skin itching
- 384 for Hiccup
Recruitment was made to either large A&E units or small injury units run by hospitals.
Research shows that one of the factors leading to unnecessary emergency room visits is difficulty accessing GP services; Latest figures show more than a fifth of patients were unable to reach a GP on the day they tried.
Patients can buy prescription-only medicines (traditionally dispensed by GPs) from pharmacies for a range of common ailments, including sore throat, sinusitis and earache, NHS England said.
It is also releasing a video titled ’24 Hours Without A&E’ as part of a social media campaign to help prevent unnecessary visits to A&E departments and GPs.
Julian Redhead, director of urgent and urgent care for NHS England, said: “When a patient has a minor illness the last place they want to be is a busy A&E, which is why we are working hard this winter to expand the number of routes to the NHS so patients can get to them faster and closer to convenient care.
“Whether services are available online, over the phone or in person, a range of doors to care are open across the NHS.
“As always, use A&E & 999 for life-threatening situations and serious injuries.”
GP Dr Ellie Cannon, who appeared in NHS England’s social media video, said patients should remember that they could contact their doctors via websites rather than relying on phone lines.
“Knowing where to get the care you need can make a big difference,” she said.
“It’s common for people to scramble for a doctor’s appointment or head to the emergency room at 8 a.m. because it’s the most familiar thing—but there are much more convenient and quicker ways to address your health concerns as you go about your day.”
He said it could be quicker and easier to contact GPs via their websites, as well as using pharmacies and NHS 111.
GP practices in England were instructed to offer online bookings from October and figures released this week show more than 98% are now doing so. These systems allow patients to ask questions as well as request an appointment.
But the change sparked opposition from the British Medical Association (BMA), which warned it could put patients at risk as GPs could be overwhelmed when assessing online queries.
It comes as the NHS in England begins publishing winter monitoring statistics on Thursday. They will provide a snapshot of how hospitals are coping, including the number of patients in flu wards, how long ambulances are queuing outside the Emergency Department and bed occupancy rates.
Last month, Sir Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS England, warned that this winter could be one of the toughest the health service has ever faced, as flu rates begin to rise early, amid the spread of a severe strain.
The NHS also faces the expectation that: More strikes by junior doctorsThey were previously called assistant doctors.
BMA members are staging a five-day strike from 17 December.
