Last month, a study by two A&E departments of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found that more than half of patients had tried another health service before resorting to A&E. In nearly half of these cases, patients had first tried their GP, according to research on 422 patients.
Stephanie Lawton, chief operating officer of Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, said: “We are currently experiencing extremely high demand for our emergency care services and have seen a significant increase in attendance at our emergency department.
“Our teams are working hard to assess and treat patients as quickly and effectively as possible to reduce delays, prioritizing those who need them most.
“The public can help us relieve pressure by using the NHS 111 service for non-urgent health advice. As always, please continue to call 999 or go to the emergency service for urgent and life-threatening emergencies. life “.
“I’ve been suffering for two weeks”
Sharon Livett was taken to Princess Elizabeth Hospital in an ambulance last Friday to treat a urinary tract infection.
Ms. Livett, 55, who has been paralyzed for 23 years, asked for a consultation with her GP, whom she has never met, after a home test kit found the infection. He received a call from a paramedic who offered him a prescription that was ineffective.
For two weeks “I just suffered,” he said. When he finally received a diagnosis from his diabetes team at the hospital, he called his GP, who, after a 40-minute phone queue, offered him the same prescription as before.
Ms Livett said the A&E department was full of cases like hers that could have been treated by a GP.
“It’s stupid, people go to the hospital for stupid little things that a GP can deal with. It’s because GPs aren’t seeing patients face to face, and if you ask for an appointment they tell you it’s not there. he has appointments, “he said.
“The ambulance crew told me the other day that when they get to the customers’ houses, people say, ‘I didn’t want to go to the hospital, you can check on me.’