One-fifth of us misuse A&E.

[Workingman]

My initial reaction was to make them pay. Anyone turning up with a minor scratch or the sniffles should, after triage, be sent to a room for a long wait then sent home with a bill for services rendered.

Then I calmed down.

In some areas it is almost impossible to get a GP appointment in a reasonable time......! Minor injuries/walk-in units are not universally available, and when they are it is often for limited hours. We also have the media bombardment of studies, reports and statistics and the advice to "get it checked out". A combination of things has got us to the point where we are turning into proto-hypochondriacs where every little thing needs professional medical treatment: yesterday!

So, we turn to A&E.

[Rodo]

Did you see the big headline the other day saying that some people have had to wait 3 weeks for a doctor's appointment? Well, I had to wait four weeks on one occasion, and 2 and half weeks is usually the norm here.

[TheOstrich]

Rodo is quite correct. Not quite as bad here usually, but I've also experienced 3-4 weeks.

Mrs O and I were discussing it and we can certainly understand people turning up at A&E. At least you'll get seen (eventually) on that visit.

[Workingman]

The delay in getting a GP appointment is the part that TPTB do not seem to understand.

The local surgery is pretty good, but with nine doctors, three nurses and a walk-in centre it should be. Even so, an appointment to see a named doctor can take forever, so it's pot-luck or wait. Don't even think about weekend care.

[cromwell]

The last time I went to A&E half the people there were foreign. If you are recently arrived in the country (legally or illegally) or are living a rootless existence and aren't registered to a GP practice, A&E is where you will go.

[Workingman]

The last time I went to A&E half the people there were foreign. If you are recently arrived in the country (legally or illegally) or are living a rootless existence and aren't registered to a GP practice, A&E is where you will go.

Good point Cromwell.

[Kaz]

Spot on

[Diflower]

So 80% of us don't

And what is their definition of misuse?

[moondancer]

Apparently around 20% of all A & E admissions are drink and drug related.

It's said that at weekends it can be as high as 50%.

They can't be turned away because maybe 1 in 100 can be seriously ill through drink or drugs and die.

These people should be made to pay for their treatment; I find it obscene that there are seriously sick people who have to wait in line while some drunk is attended to.

[Workingman]

Amazing, isn't it? Here we are on a small messageboard and we have identified three main routes to possible A&E "abuse", and done it free of charge.