A&E patients said they faced an “unacceptable” 13-hour wait

Last month, a study of two A&E departments by the Quality of Care Commission (CQC) found that more than half of patients tried another health service before resorting to A&E. In almost half of these cases, patients first tried their GP, according to a study of 422 patients.

Stephanie Lawton, chief operating officer of the NHS Trust at Princess Alexandra Hospital, said: “We are currently experiencing a high demand for our emergency services and are seeing a significant increase in attendance in our emergency department.

“Our teams work hard to assess and treat patients as quickly and efficiently as possible to reduce delays, giving priority to those who have the greatest clinical need.

“The public can help us relieve the pressure by using the NHS 111 service for health advice in emergencies. As always, please continue to call 999 or visit the emergency and life-threatening emergency department.

“I just suffered for two weeks”

Sharon Levette was taken to Princess Elizabeth Hospital by ambulance last Friday to be treated for a urinary tract infection.

Ms. Levette, 55, who has been paralyzed for 23 years, sought advice from her GP, whom she had never met after a home test kit detected the infection. She received a call from a paramedic who offered her a prescription, which proved ineffective.

For two weeks, “I just suffered,” she said. When she was finally diagnosed by her diabetes team at the hospital, she called her GP’s clinic, who, after a 40-minute phone queue, offered her the same prescription as before.

Ms. Levette said the emergency department was full of cases like hers, which could have been examined by a general practitioner.

“It’s just stupid for people to go to the hospital for stupid little things that the GP can handle. That’s because GPs don’t see patients face to face, and if you ask for an appointment, they tell you there are no appointments, “she said.

“The other day, the ambulance crew told me that when they get to clients’ houses, people say, ‘I didn’t want to go to the hospital, can you just check me out?’