Following discussions with Accident and Emergency staff I think more needs to be done to educate the general public on what exactly is the role of an Accident and Emergency unit. I decided to raise the issue with Edwina Hart and asked the Health Minister what the government is doing to educate people so that they are aware of the appropriate place for them to access various healthcare.

Staff have told me that there is a concern that time and resources are being wasted on what isn’t a genuine emergency which means that the whole system is clogged up. What people need to understand is that it is not appropriate to go to Accident and Emergency as an alternative to your GP. Doing this has an impact on the work pressures and efficiency of accident and emergency departments and hospitals more widely. We need to educate people on this issue so that we can help medical staff who are already under immense pressure.

Indeed I was pleased with the response from the Minister who said that she is considering creating a publication about the rights and responsibilities of patients, which could give every household an indication of where people should go if they have a problem or a certain illness.