Millions of patients in England are visiting accident and emergency departments for minor ailments such as headaches, coughs, and blocked noses, as the NHS faces record flu admissions and long A&E waiting times, worsening the ongoing NHS A&E crisis.
A&E Visits Surge for Minor Conditions
Analysis by the Press Association shows that over the past five years, nearly 1.9 million people sought emergency care for headaches, 1.4 million for coughs, and 1.2 million for sore throats.
Other minor complaints included earaches affecting 1 million patients and nearly 69,000 cases of blocked noses. Less common visits involved constipation, with 290,000 attendances, and 4,200 patients presenting with hiccups.
The data also reveal sharp increases in cough cases, rising tenfold to 435,728 in 2024/25 from 44,000 in 2020/21, reflecting wider trends in winter illnesses and adding further pressure to the NHS A&E crisis.
Officials Cite Systemic Healthcare Strain
Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, said the figures show “a failure to give people enough access to convenient, responsive services closer to home where they can get the help they need there and then.” A situation, he said, is contributing to the NHS A&E crisis.
“Our new year’s wish would be to see neighbourhood healthcare ‘turbocharged’ with more primary care appointments to boost satisfaction and ease pressure on A&Es,” he added.
Dr. Ian Higginson, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, cautioned that while many conditions seem minor, serious illnesses may appear among patients. “People are arriving through the doors of our emergency departments with issues that we would not traditionally consider as urgent and require emergency care,” he said.
PA analysis also shows that 2.2 million A&E attendances in 2024/25 recorded “no abnormality detected,” while more than 500,000 patients left before receiving a first diagnosis.
NHS Urges Public to Use Alternative Care
An NHS England spokesperson said the health service is expanding care options this winter as part of efforts to manage the NHS A&E crisis.“The last place a patient wants to be when they have a minor illness is a busy A&E. We urge people to use alternatives such as NHS 111, local pharmacies, walk-in centres, or online advice,” the spokesperson said.
Officials are warning of a “tidal wave” of winter illnesses and will release updated hospital statistics soon to show how NHS hospitals are coping with seasonal pressures related to the NHS A&E crisis.
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