UNNECESSARY visits to the Accident and Emergency department at Warrington Hospital are costing the NHS around £9.25 million a year – and the figure is rising.
Seven out of every 10 people who go to the department are not admitted to a hospital bed and almost half are classed as a minor injury or illness.
Every day, the highly specialist A&E teams are faced with having to deal with minor illnesses such as coughs and colds, backache and upset stomachs.
New research by NHS Warrington has revealed the true extent of the problem.
In the last 12 months, there were 85 patients who attended A&E departments 1,123 times, averaging one visit per month between them. The same patients were also responsible for 664 ambulance call outs in the same period.
Now a new campaign is reminding local people to stop and think and “Choose Well” before they set off for hospital.
Dr Rita Robertson, director of public health for Warrington said: “These figures are alarming. It seems that people are forgetting the purpose of A&E departments.
“I think that we need to get back to the message that A&E departments are for life-threatening and emergency conditions, such as heart attacks, strokes, breathing problems and serious accidents.
“We need to make sure that our hospital A&E teams are caring for people with serious or life threatening conditions.
“Through our Choose Well campaign we want re-educate people about using the right service to get the right treatment. We really need to get local people on our side with this issue – how can we get people to respect A&E services?”
Rising attendances are putting NHS hospitals and ambulance services in the North West under increasing pressure. More than 177,000 more people used A&E services in 2009/10 than in 2008/09, while the cost of providing A&E services across the region went up by nine per cent last year to £317 million.
For more information about choosing the right NHS service in your area, go to www.warrington-pct.nhs.uk/health&wellbeing/choosewell.html
UNNECESSARY visits to the Accident and Emergency department at
Warrington Hospital are costing the NHS around £9.25 million a year -
and the figure is rising.
Unnecessary AE visits cost £9 million
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Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
6 Comments
Maybe the numbers attending A&E could be reduced if it was possible to get doctors appointments more easily of for ‘out of hours’ illnesses perhaps go back to having home visits ? Another idea is xray machines at local surgeries for more minor bumps and bangs to show determine if an A&E visit is really necessary. More often than not in most cases it isn’t. Bit shocking that 85 individuals raked up 1,123 visits and 664 ambulance call outs though 🙁
I agree Diz, it’s almost impossible to get a short notice appointment with a GP at a convenient time, and for a minor injury just needing a couple of stitches or a precautionary X-ray there’s currently no alternative to a visit to a full blown A&E department. Maybe well equipped “super-surgeries” weren’t such a bad idea after all!
Although it’s interesting that our director of public health for Warrington thinks that ” A&E departments are for life-threatening and emergency conditions, such as heart attacks, strokes, breathing problems and serious accidents.” Ok that’s the E bit of the name – but what about the A for accident? Warrington does not have a minor injuries unit, and few people would be willing to travel right across town to Halton to use theirs.
I think the real big story hidden in this is that its the same 85 patients who attended over 1,000 times and made 600+ ambulance call outs. that needs addressing now.
But You’re quite right, the clue is in the name, I have attended “Accident & Emergency” a few times in my life, never once expecting to be admitted, yet it is made out as though if you are not admitted you are a time waster. I think Rita needs to go back to school. Either that or its a cut in the service and they are pretending this has always been the case.
so is Rita suggesting that should I mearly fracture my wrist playying football on saturday aftrenoon I should wait till monday and ring my doctor (who no doubt will say go to A&E you idiot).
How come we can see the shortfalls in the services away from the A&E department but those in charge can’t.
As for fracturing your wrist Richiepoo and having to wait…. after an A&E visit which showed a hand fracture my son had to wait 6 says for an appointment with the fracture clinic for dressings/treatment as it only operates on certain days. On many other occasions though a visit or phone call to our doctors surgery or Garven Place out of hours surgery has ALWAYS resulted in the same advice of sorry you will have to ‘go to A&E’ …. but thankfully almost every very other ADVISED visit has resulted in nothing more than a very long wait having been seen by more that 5 members of staff ranging from reception and nurses right through to senior doctors nurses but mostly requiring nothing more than painkillers and rest…. many other people attending at the same time have all had the same outcome and said the same…….. you tend to feel releived but rather embarrased for wasting their time but what choice have you got when you are told to go to A&E the first place as there is no alternative…………….. have I already said all that 🙂 🙂 🙂
Agreed, Dizzy, fortunately I have not broke a bone in the past 30 years, but it has always been the same as you describe.
Dr Rita asks how can we get people to respect our services?
well the answer is respect you patients.
This blatent patronising dig which exudes from your statements just insults many people who are asking for help, if they are confused at your services then its simply is you to blame.
If I opened a shop selling bananas, but putting pictures of cakes in the window then its my fault people come in asking for cakes. If you have a 24hour admissions department called ACCIDENT & EMERGENCY people will go in after ACCIDENTS! and maybe they go there with coughs and colds because NHS MDs have prescriptions written before you sit down or cant understand what you are saying to them. Case in point my previous MD insisting I had a throat infection which was the cause of my shoulder pains…still seem to have a throat infection 5 years later..and trust me, I said no its not my throat, but she insisted she knew best…wasn’t you was it?