A & E

Yellow ‘men’ show people with minor illnesses and injuries where to go

Huge yellow figures depicting different types of injuries have been on display across north east London to promote better use of A&E by the public. It has been estimated that up to 40 per cent of people who use A&E do not need to.

Each seven foot tall model depicts a different injury or illness with information about NHS services other than A&E departments that are best placed to provide treatment. Coughs and colds can be treated at home; your local pharmacist can help with headaches and diarrhoea; while walk-in services and minor injury units can help with cuts, minor infections and sprains.

The statues will be popping up in Havering this week to spread the message about better use of A&E as part of the NHS yellow and black ‘Not Always A&E’ campaign.

The campaign is backed-up by a website: www.NotAlwaysAandE.co.uk that directs people to local resources.

Havering GP, Dr Atul Aggarwal said: “When you need urgent care or are unwell, it is difficult to know where you should go for treatment.

“But A&E shouldn’t automatically be the place to go for any problem. This puts a lot of pressure on A&E and increases waiting times for those patients who are genuinely in need of urgent medical attention.

“Many people could easily be treated by a local pharmacist, GP, at a minor injuries unit or walk In service, or even just by staying at home and looking after yourself. The message is simple - if it’s not a serious medical emergency, A&E is not the right choice.”

“NHS services really are all around us, and we hope that this work will encourage people to find out about their options. All we want patients to do is take a few minutes to understand where their local services are and what they can treat.

“Even something as simple as registering with a GP can help residents to access treatment when they need it.”

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people wait for hours in A&E when they could have got quicker and more appropriate treatment closer to home. Not only are residents wasting hours of their valuable time waiting, but they potentially block access to services for other people in more urgent need.

Around eight per cent of all A&E visits could have been treated at a local pharmacy, and about 40 per cent of visits to A&E end up with the patient just receiving advice or guidance rather than actual treatment. It has been estimated that unnecessary A&E attendances cost up to £100m a year in England.