A&E minor illness stay away plea

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Campaign urges people to go to their GP rather than A&E for minor ailments.

Wales' busiest accident and emergency department has appealed to people not to turn up with minor ailments.

Staff at Morriston Hospital in Swansea say up to a third of people who make their way do not need emergency care.

They say 23,500 people each year could be treated more appropriately elsewhere than waiting to be seen at A&E.

They have drawn up a "top 10" list of everyday ailments which they say would be better dealt with by contacting a GP or confidential NHS telephone advice.

Morriston is recognised as the major trauma centre for south west Wales, with about 75,000 people at the A&E department each year, some 20,000 of them children.

But emergency doctors say there is a "a real problem" of people with everyday ailments clogging up the system and making queues longer.

The hospital has teamed up with local GPs to launch the campaign, which they have called Do I Really Need to Use A&E?

TOP 10 REASONS NOT TO USE A&E Minor coughs and colds Long-term back or joint problems with no clear history of injury Toenail problems Dental/facial pain Urinary infections Tummy upsets Skin complaints Earaches/sore throats Running out of medication (see your GP) Patients under the care of a family doctor in the last week, for any condition, should try to speak to their GP first before contacting A&E/999 emergency services SOURCE: Abertawe Bro Morganwwg University NHS Trust

Consultant Mike McCabe said: "All too often A&E is used as a default for patients who should go to see their GP or access other forms of primary and community-based care.

"It makes the queues for treatment longer and adds unnecessarily to the staff workload, when they should be concentrating all their efforts on patients with more serious conditions.

"It would help tremendously if patients with routine conditions did not come to A&E."

"Not only would it ease the pressure on staff, but it would also help waiting times and patients would be seen more quickly as a result."

Swansea GP Dr Ashok Rayani said GPs were the best doctors to treat many of the conditions on the Top 10 list and Swansea GP surgeries now offered appointments within 24 hours.

Wasted journey

He said: "So there's absolutely no need to go to A&E, or Singleton Minor Injuries Unit, unless you really do need urgent treatment.

"We realise it can be confusing for patients to know where to go for care, so this campaign will be carrying on throughout 2009 to get the message across."

Information leaflets and posters are being distributed to GP surgeries, pharmacies and hospitals offering advice.

Patients will also be warned that turning up in A&E inappropriately could result in them being redirected elsewhere for treatment, therefore risking a wasted journey.