Survey of patients waiting in Accident and Emergency at Northampton General Hospital
We asked 173 people in the A&E waiting area at NGH about what other services they had tried to access before going to A&E and what their experience was
The report indicates that much more work needs to be done to ensure that health services are working together to make sure people have good access to alternatives to A&E, if their condition is not an emergency, and that the public know how to access those alternatives.
The survey shows that a majority of people are trying to use alternatives to A&E, but that access to alternatives is difficult.
Two thirds of the people we spoke to (66%) had tried to get advice and help from elsewhere before coming to A&E and half (50%) had been directed to A&E by those services (GP practice, 111, out of hours). 1 in 5 (20%) attended A&E at NGH because they were unable to see a GP. Only two people mentioned trying to access a pharmacist indicating that more work needs to be done to encourage people to think “pharmacy first”.
Read the full report
Survey of patients waiting in Accident and Emergency at Northampton General Hospital final report
