Difficulties in obtaining a GP appointment have led to a significant increase in the number of Brits seeking help at A&E for common ailments such as sore throats, coughs, and earaches, according to NHS data. The figures indicate that there were 340,441 A&E attendances in England last year due to sore throats, a 77% increase compared to the 190,900 cases recorded in 2021/22. Additionally, the number of people seeking urgent care for coughs and earaches increased by 50% and 20% respectively. Health service leaders have attributed this surge in A&E visits to the strain on primary care services, particularly the long waiting times experienced by patients trying to see a GP. They have urged people to manage minor ailments through appropriate services like pharmacies and NHS 111 online. The latest NHS A&E data also revealed a decrease in patient care in August, with only 73% of attendees being seen within four hours, compared to 74% in July. NHS standards state that 95% of patients should be seen, admitted, transferred, or discharged within this timeframe. Analysis of NHS data shows that cases involving sore throats increased by 77% between 2021/22 and 2022/23, while A&E visits for coughs rose by 47% and for earaches by 22%. The NHS has emphasized that these conditions can usually be managed at home or with the help of a pharmacist. The data further revealed that emergency departments treated 324,443 patients for backache last year, a 2% increase from the previous year, and dealt with 38,435 cases of people seeking medication, a 20% rise. Miriam Deakin, the director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, stated that the increase in A&E admissions is adding more pressure to an already overstretched NHS and called for the appropriate funding and support from the government to address this issue. Another concern highlighted in the data is the waiting list for procedures in England, which includes around 7.68 million patients, or one in seven people. This figure includes nearly 390,000 patients who have waited for more than a year for treatment. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine has previously warned that difficulties in accessing GPs have contributed to the pressures faced by emergency departments. It stressed that the entire NHS is overwhelmed by unsustainable pressures and called for increased financial and staffing support to alleviate the strain. The latest performance data shows that the waiting list for NHS treatment grew by over 100,000 between June and July, reaching the highest figure since records began in 2007. This highlights the urgent need for measures to address the workload and workforce crisis in the NHS.

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