A & E departments, sometimes called casualty or emergency departments, are hospital units where the public can attend without an appointment, for accidents, emergencies and other very urgent medical conditions which may require the facilities and expertise of highly skilled hospital teams.

Examples where it is right and appropriate to attend A & E without delay include:

Major injuries such as injuries from road traffic accidents / Falls from a considerable height / Major head injuries / Collapse / Severe breathing difficulty / Severe chest pain / Severe haemorrhage / Poisoning / Extensive burns

There is absolutely no doubt that someone who is seriously injured or collapsed needs to attend A & E and may well also require pre-hospital care from the Ambulance Service.

What sorts of conditions are not appropriate for A&E departments?

Unfortunately many people attend A & E with very minor problems. This makes it difficult for A & E staff to deal with the volume of cases, involves delays for patients and incurs considerable costs.

The following are examples of minor problems for which A & E attendance is not appropriate:

Flu-like illnesses / coughs / earache / back ache / sore throats / minor breathlessness or wheezing / abdominal pain (unless extreme or associated with collapse) / urinary difficulties (unless completely unable to pass water) / vaginal bleeding (unless very heavy and associated with faintness) / rashes (unless it appears like spontaneous bleeding under the skin or the person is very unwell) / backache / diarrhoea and vomiting /simple bites and stings / social problems / emergency contraception / dental problems (except major trauma)

Such conditions can generally be safely managed by a GP, Practice Nurse, or Pharmacist and sometimes by the individual themselves.

Disadvantages to attending A & E if not essential

People who attend A & E with non-serious conditions risk overloading the services that are primarily intended for delivering emergency care for people who are critically ill. We should all remember that “one day it could be us” who need that life-saving care. They are also likely to wait a long time for treatment.