Hospital Trust: A&E visits are wasting valuable resources

A&E visits are wasting valuable resources

Doctors at The Royal Oldham Hospital A&E department are currently seeing an average of 21 patients per day, or around 640 patients per month – who they say could and should be dealt with at a local pharmacy or in a primary care service, not at hospital.

Unnecessary visits to Accident & Emergency departments is wasting valuable NHS resources and could mean some patients are having to wait longer to be treated, according to senior doctors at The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.

A&E at the Royal Oldham is now also being used by patients from Rochdale, following the closure of the A&E department at the Rochdale Infirmary.

Figures suggest that around one in four people who visit A&E could be treated more quickly and more appropriately by a pharmacist or another local NHS service.

A&E teams are routinely being faced with having to deal with ‘run-of-the-mill’ minor cases such as small cuts, coughs and colds, backache and upset stomachs on a daily basis – conditions that could be dealt with through a trip to the high street chemist or by visiting other local services.

In addition, paramedics and A&E staff will face their busiest time of the year over the next two weeks. And at Christmas, alcohol-related A&E attendances increase dramatically. Festive parties make the last Friday night before Christmas notorious as the busiest shift of the year for 999 teams.

Every attendance at A&E in the UK costs the public purse a minimum of £59. In the North West, this cost £20.9 million in the last year. Replicated across England, NHS North West suggests this equates to a cost of between £80 million and £100 million.

In the North West alone, more than 400,000 people who could have been treated and advised by their local pharmacist or GP, or could have looked after themselves at home, went to A&E departments in the last 12 months.

Dr Nick Gili, A&E consultant and Clinical director at Royal Oldham Hospital, said:
“Our figures over the last few months show we are receiving over 20 patients per day here at The Royal Oldham Hospital who could have been treated in a primary care service such as a local pharmacy, walk in centre or GP. These patients will usually be low priority and this means they could be waiting longer than most others in A&E and therefore could be treated more quickly elsewhere. By choosing and using the right health services, patients can expect to be seen or treated more quickly, whilst keeping emergency services free for those patients with serious and life threatening illnesses. 

“This winter we are encouraging patients to consider if attending an A&E department is really necessary and the best option available to them, or whether they may be
better seeking advice and help from one of the community healthcare services. We need to keep A&E departments for those people who are extremely unwell and need urgent medical attention.

“I'd also urge people to pace themselves and watch what they drink over the Christmas and New Year period. Alcohol-related injuries and associated problems put extra pressure on the NHS, so I'd ask people to be sensible. Don’t end up in A&E because of too much alcohol.”