NHS North West reveals bizarre catalogue of emergency services misuses

The NHS has revealed a catalogue of bizarre misuses of emergency services as the pressure builds on 999 teams.

According to medical chiefs patients are abusing their region's services by telephoning staff with minor or unnecessary ailments.

A report has told how one woman went to A&E asked doctors to cut her toe nails as she
could not get a chiropody appointment.

Another patient was brought in by ambulance, after his wife had locked him out
of their home as he was intoxicated

And a child was taken into the department by her mother after she had trodden in dog faeces and the mother could not bear to wipe it off.

Latest figures show that the number of people using emergency services is continuing to rise with A&E attendances up by 36,000 since April, compared to last year, and 999 calls up by 3,000.

Dr Mike Cheshire, medical director at NHS North West said something needs to be done quickly about the growing number of preventable emergency services abuses.

Dr Cheshire said: “We need to get back to the message that A&E and 999 services are for life-threatening and emergency conditions such as heart attacks, strokes, breathing problems and serious accidents.

"Our hospital A&E teams deal with some of the highest numbers of people who have life-threatening conditions such as heart-attacks, strokes and lung disease in the country. It is hard to believe that there are some people who think they can call 999 or go to A&E
just because they have a splinter or have paint in their hair.”

Choose Well is a North West wide communications campaign that aims to get people to use the right NHS service.

Dr Cheshire added: “We are fully behind the Choose Well campaign.

"We have to make sure that A&E and 999 services are free to treat people with life-threatening and serious conditions, such as heart-attacks, strokes and serious accidents.

“If we can stop the misuse of our A&E and 999 services and get more people to self-care for common complaints such as backache, minor sports injuries, this will go some way to easing the pressures on our emergency services.”

For more information about Choose Well, go to www.northest.nhs.uk/choosewell

Comments about NHS North West reveals bizarre catalogue of emergency services misuses