Accident and emergency departments across England are being inundated with patients suffering from minor ailments like hiccups, sore throats, and ingrowing toenails, according to a stark new warning from health leaders.
Hundreds of Thousands of Inappropriate Visits
NHS England has revealed that its emergency units treated more than 200,000 people in the past year for conditions that could have been managed by a GP, pharmacist, or other services. The data, highlighting a critical strain on frontline services, shows a startling catalogue of non-urgent cases.
Between November 2024 and March 2025 alone, A&E staff dealt with nearly 84,000 cases of earache and over 6,000 for blocked noses. The figures also include 96,998 visits for sore throats, 8,669 for itchy skin, and 3,890 for ingrowing toenails. Perhaps most strikingly, emergency departments recorded 384 visits from people seeking help for hiccups.
Health Leaders Launch 'Use A&E Wisely' Plea
The statistics have prompted a fresh campaign from the NHS to direct patients to the most appropriate care. Officials cautioned that A&Es are "busier than ever" and described them as being "under siege from hiccups and ingrowing toenails".
Health Secretary Wes Streeting echoed the concern, stating on Good Morning Britain that "A&Es should be accident and emergency, not anything and everything." He emphasised the intense pressure facing the health service this winter, compounded by soaring flu cases and planned industrial action.
Winter Pressures and Strike Action Loom
Mr Streeting warned that the upcoming winter will be one of the busiest on record for NHS staff. This pressure is set to be exacerbated by a five-day walkout by resident doctors, planned to begin on 17 December.
"That will be made even harder by the BMA's dangerously reckless decision to strike in the run-up to Christmas," the Health Secretary said, expressing anxiety for patients and families. He urged the public to play their part: "We can all do our bit this winter by making sure we only use A&E for genuine accidents and emergencies."
The combined warning serves as a clear message: to protect emergency services for those in most critical need, the public must consider alternative options for minor health issues.
