Patients clogging up A&E with hiccups, sore throats and niggles

Patients are being warned not to clog emergency rooms with everyday worries as NHS figures show thousands turned to hospitals for minor ailments such as hiccups and ingrown toenails last winter.

There were more than 200,000 emergency department visits in England from November to February for conditions that could have been treated elsewhere, according to NHS England.

That represents more than 2% of all attendances during that four-month period, tying up vital resources in stressed emergency rooms, health officials said.

Patients with such minor illnesses are advised to seek help elsewhere, including from pharmacists, GPs and NHS 111 – by telephone or online – as some of these can be managed at home.

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

• 6,382 visits for nasal congestion
• 83,705 visits for earaches
• 96,998 visits for sore throat
• 3,890 visits for ingrown toenails
• 8,669 for itchy skin
• 384 for hiccups

Attendances were either to major A&E units or to hospital-run minor injuries units.

Research shows that one of the factors causing unnecessary emergency visits is difficulty accessing GP services, with the latest figures showing that more than a fifth of patients cannot reach their GP on the day they try.

NHS England said patients can get prescription-only medicines – traditionally dispensed by GPs – from pharmacies for a range of common conditions including a sore throat, sinusitis and earache.

He is also releasing a video called ’24 hours not in A&E’ as part of a social media campaign to avoid unnecessary visits to A&E departments and GPs.

Julian Redhead, director of urgent care at NHS England, said: “The last place a patient wants to be when suffering a minor illness is in a busy A&E – so this winter we are working hard to increase the number of routes to the NHS so patients can get quick, convenient care closer to them.

“Whether services are online, over the phone or in person, various doors to care are open across the NHS.

“As always, use A&E&999 for life-threatening illnesses and serious injuries.”

GP Dr Ellie Cannon, who appears in the video on NHS England social media, said patients need to remember they can contact their GP through their websites rather than relying on phone lines.

“Knowing where to get the care you need can make all the difference,” she said.

“It’s common for people to default to rushing out at 8am for a GP appointment or going to A&E because that’s what feels most familiar to them – but there are many much more convenient and quicker ways to manage your health problem as you go about your day.”

She said contacting GPs through their websites could be quicker and easier in addition to using pharmacies and NHS 111.

GP practices in England have been ordered to offer online bookings from October and figures released this week show more than 98% now do so. These systems allow patients to ask questions and request appointments.

But the change has sparked opposition from the British Medical Association (BMA), which warned it could put patients at risk as GPs could find themselves overwhelmed by assessing online queries.

It comes as the NHS in England begins publishing its winter monitoring statistics on Thursday. They will provide insight into how hospitals are coping, including the number of flu patients on wards, how long ambulances are waiting for outside emergencies and bed occupancy rates.

Last month, NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey warned that this winter could be one of the most difficult the health service has faced, as flu rates began to rise early amid what appears to be the spread of a serious strain.

The NHS also faces the prospect of further strikes by resident doctors, previously known as junior doctors.

BMA members are holding a five-day strike starting December 17.