Health

Number of patients attending A&E with FLU soars by 60 per cent


Number of patients attending A&E with FLU soars by 60 per cent as UK’s GP crisis means patients struggle to get an appointment with their doctor

  • Report reveals A&E admissions for flu or pneumonia have risen by 60 per cent
  • Thousands with minor conditions end up in A&E due to lack of out-of-hours care 
  • Last year 1.3million people with preventable conditions were admitted to wards 

The number of patients admitted to A&E with flu has risen by 60 per cent due to GP shortages, a major report warns today.

Last year 1.3million people with preventable conditions were admitted on to wards – accounting for a quarter of all emergency patients.

Their illnesses could have been entirely avoided had they been properly looked after by GPs, district nursing services or the social care system.

Figures show that 1,520 of those with preventable conditions stayed in hospital for over 100 days. The report said that overall there has been a 9 per cent rise in emergency admissions for avoidable illnesses since 2013 [File photo]

Figures show that 1,520 of those with preventable conditions stayed in hospital for over 100 days. The report said that overall there has been a 9 per cent rise in emergency admissions for avoidable illnesses since 2013 [File photo]

Figures show a quarter of a million admissions with flu or pneumonia to A&E last year, up from 158,000 five years ago. 

The report by health watchdog Dr Foster Intelligence Unit said the increase was partly due to a shortage of GPs, causing patients’ conditions to deteriorate while they wait.

It means thousands with relatively minor conditions, such as ear and urine infections, end up in A&E because they cannot access any out-of-hours care. 

The report also blamed cuts to public health prevention services and poor vaccination programmes which have caused adults to miss out on flu jabs.

Pressure on GPs is increasing because of the ageing and growing population, but a record 138 GP surgeries shut down last year as millions struggled to secure appointments. Those over 65 account for more than half of needless admissions  [File photo]

Pressure on GPs is increasing because of the ageing and growing population, but a record 138 GP surgeries shut down last year as millions struggled to secure appointments. Those over 65 account for more than half of needless admissions  [File photo]

Preventable emergency admissions cost the NHS £125million a year and create huge problems for already overcrowded hospitals.

Tom Binstead, the report’s author, said the lack of GPs at weekends was a particular problem as people’s conditions then deteriorate.

He said: ‘There is limited primary or community care service availability on the weekend, restricting admissions to very severe cases at this time. Patients may become increasingly ill over the weekend, leading to more emergency admissions during the week.’

Pressure on GPs is increasing because of the ageing and growing population, but a record 138 GP surgeries shut down last year as millions struggled to secure appointments. 

Those over 65 account for more than half of needless admissions. Some of these elderly patients never return home as they become too frail or succumb to another infection.

Figures show that 1,520 of those with preventable conditions stayed in hospital for over 100 days.

The report said that overall there has been a 9 per cent rise in emergency admissions for avoidable illnesses since 2013. All hospitals now record the number of patients admitted with conditions deemed avoidable by NHS England.

Known as ‘ambulatory care sensitive conditions’, they include pneumonia, urinary infections and chest infections as well as the flaring up of asthma, heart disease and angina.

The report by health watchdog Dr Foster Intelligence Unit said the increase was partly due to a shortage of GPs, causing patients’ conditions to deteriorate while they wait. It means thousands with relatively minor conditions, such as ear and urine infections, end up in A&E because they cannot access any out-of-hours care [File photo]

The report by health watchdog Dr Foster Intelligence Unit said the increase was partly due to a shortage of GPs, causing patients’ conditions to deteriorate while they wait. It means thousands with relatively minor conditions, such as ear and urine infections, end up in A&E because they cannot access any out-of-hours care [File photo]

GPs say they cannot properly care for elderly patients as they are desperately short-staffed and being denied adequate funding from the Government. An estimated 1.2million frail or older people are not receiving the help they need.

Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, of the Royal College of GPs, said: ‘All GP practices in England now offer some form of extended access over weekends and evenings through out of hours opening, or by partnering with neighbouring services to offer routine appointments and on-call provision.

‘Ironically, however, many of our members report relatively low patient uptake for such services – and at a time when patients in some areas of the country are having to wait longer and longer for routine GP appointments, it does bring these services into question.’

She went on: ‘Patients should always be able to see a GP when they need to, either through routine GP services, or GP out of hours services – what we need to see is more integration between the two, a more collaborative approach to funding solutions and more public awareness campaigns about the appropriate urgent care services available, so patients know where to turn when they are sick.

‘Investing in general practice is investment in the entire NHS.’



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