Up to two-fifths of emergency room visits could be avoidable – amid a rise in hospital visits due to THREE common problems

Busy A&E departments are seeing an increasing number of patients seeking emergency care for hiccups, stuffy noses and headaches, an audit has found.

Analysis of NHS data shows that more and more people are coming for minor ailments including coughing, feeling ill and insomnia, putting unnecessary pressure on extended services.

It is estimated that up to two-fifths of visitors are avoidable or better treated elsewhere.

But long waits and difficulties in getting a GP appointment are worsening the problem, with health officials urging the public to ‘play their part’ by reserving A&E for genuine emergencies.

In total, there were 24,664,177 unplanned visits to emergency departments across the country last year, with the causes recorded.

This included over a quarter of a million (257,915) earaches – a ten percent increase on the previous year.

The number of cases where headache was the chief complaint increased by 12 percent in the past twelve months, from 379,127 cases to 423,297, while back pain increased by 13 percent, from 324,443 to 365,327.

The number of complaints about coughing and the number of visitors due to insomnia both increased by 15 percent, from 322,500 to 369,264 and 1,343 and 1,544 respectively.

The number of coughing complaints increased by 15 percent, while there were 963 cases of hiccups (archive photo)

Surprisingly, there were 963 cases of hiccups – an increase of 18 percent from the previous year.

Dr. Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said it was “symptomatic of problems that permeate the entire healthcare system.”

He urged ministers to break “the viscous cycle” and “deliver on the promise to fix the healthcare system”.

He said: ‘Like our emergency departments, which are routinely overcrowded, primary and community services are hugely overstretched.

‘It is therefore no surprise that people go to the emergency department for the treatment of minor problems.

‘However, this in turn places additional demands on emergency teams who are already dealing with the added pressures of winter, combined with an underfunded social care system, which is delaying redundancies.’

Some 61,936 nosebleeds were treated in emergency departments last year, an increase of 10 percent on the previous year, while the number of cases of constipation and diarrhea also rose.

The number of cases where headache was the chief complaint increased by 12 percent in the past twelve months, from 379,127 cases to 423,297 (file photo)

Meanwhile, 351,785 ER visits last year were attributed to vomiting, while 18,126 visits were due to nausea.

And 324,550 visitors were due to sore throats.

There was an 11 per cent increase in cases of nasal congestion, from 16,115 in 2022/23 to 17,827 in 2023/24.

In total, almost 8.6 million emergency visits in 2023/24 resulted in the patient being discharged with written advice.

The figures come as the NHS braces for what is expected to be a challenging winter as infections rise and temperatures fall, which could worsen a number of pre-existing medical conditions.

Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive at NHS Providers, said: ‘The pressure on A&E, including A&E, is only likely to increase in winter, often the toughest and busiest time of year for the NHS.

‘But trusts continue to work hard to see patients as quickly as possible.’

Patients are being encouraged to seek help from a pharmacist for seven common conditions without the need for a GP, as part of the Pharmacy First program launched by the Tories last winter.

These conditions include sinusitis, sore throat, earache, infected insect bites, impetigo, shingles and uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women under 65 years of age.

Professor Julian Redhead, national clinical director for emergency care for NHS England, said the public must play its part.

He said: ‘We are seeing record demand in our emergency departments and whilst hospitals are already working close to capacity as we head into winter, it is important that the public play their part by following NHS advice – just use of emergency services for serious injuries or life-threatening emergencies.

‘NHS 111 online and the NHS website can give you advice on how to treat yourself at home, or refer you to the most appropriate NHS service for things like headaches and sore throats, while calling NHS 111 should be your first point of contact for any other urgent circumstances – ensuring you are seen faster and in the right place, while our emergency care can support those who need it most.”