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

Patients are being warned not to clog up A&E with everyday niggles as NHS figures show thousands turned to hospitals for minor ailments such as hiccups and ingrowing toenails last winter.

There were more than 200,000 A&E attendances in England from November to February for conditions that could have been dealt with elsewhere, according to NHS England.

This represents more than 2% of all attendances during that four-month period, taking up vital resources at under-pressure A&Es, health bosses said.

Patients with such minor conditions are being advised to seek help elsewhere, including from pharmacists, GPs and NHS 111 – either via the phone or online – as some of them can be managed at home.

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

• 6,382 visits for nasal congestion
• 83,705 visits for earache
• 96,998 visits for sore throats
• 3,890 visits for ingrowing nails
• 8,669 for itching skin
• 384 for hiccups

The attendances were to either major A&E units or minor injury units run by hospitals.

Research shows one of the factors driving unnecessary A&E visits is difficulty accessing GP services, with latest figures showing more than a fifth of patients cannot get through to their GP on the day they try.

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

It is also releasing a video entitled ’24 Hours Not In A&E’ as part of a social media campaign to help avoid unnecessary visits to A&E departments and GPs.

NHS England urgent and emergency care director Julian Redhead said: “The last place a patient wants to be when they have a minor illness is in a busy A&E – so this winter we’re working hard to expand the number of routes into the NHS so patients can get fast and convenient care closer to them.

“Whether the services are online, over the phone or in person, a variety of doorways to care are open across the NHS.

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

GP Dr Ellie Cannon, who appears in NHS England’s social media video, said patients should 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 the 8am scramble for a GP appointment, or go to A&E, as it’s what feels most familiar – but there are many far more convenient and quicker ways to handle your health concern while you get on with your day.”

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

GP practices in England were ordered to offer online booking from October and figures released this week show more than 98% now do. Those systems allow patients to ask questions as well as request appointments.

But the change has provoked opposition from the British Medical Association (BMA) which has warned it could put patients at risk because GPs could become overwhelmed assessing online queries.

It comes as the NHS in England starts to publish its winter monitoring statistics on Thursday. They will provide a snapshot of how hospitals are coping, including the number of patients on wards with flu, how long ambulances are queuing for outside A&E and bed occupancy rates.

Last month, NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey warned this winter could be one of the toughest the health service has faced as rates of flu started rising early amid what appears to the spread of a severe strain.

The NHS is also facing the prospect of more strikes by resident doctors, who were previously called junior doctors.

BMA members are staging a five-day walkout from 17 December.