Warning issued over unnecessary emergency service use during festive period

People across the country have been called upon to avoid placing unnecessary pressure on NHS emergency services during the current busy festive period.

With demand for accident and emergency services typically peaking in the period between Christmas and the New Year, NHS England and the Royal College of Emergency Medicine have urged people to do all they can to reduce this burden.

People suffering from viral coughs, flu and minor ailments have been advised to recover at home, leaving busy emergency doctors and nurses free to prioritise those with life-threatening illness.

Professor Keith Willett, national clinical director for acute care, said: "Having winter remedies such as over-the-counter painkillers and simple cough syrups in stock is always a good idea. Using a pharmacist as a first point of contact when you’re unwell is often the best thing to do."

A recent report by the Nuffield Trust showed that emergency admissions to hospital specific to alcohol have increased by more than 50 percent in nine years and now exceed one-quarter of a million a year.

Moreover, official NHS data indicated that last year the NHS responded to by far the highest ever number of A&E attendances, NHS 111 calls, ambulance calls and emergency admissions in its history.