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 throats3,890 visits for ingrowing nails8,669 for itching skin384 for hiccupsThe 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 o …
