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Most patients ‘correctly accessing A&E’

Most patients ‘correctly accessing A&E’
23 May 2014



Only one in seven patients attending A&E could have been seen by a GP in the community, new research has shown. 
Findings released by the College of Emergency Medicine (CEM) show that 85% of patients who visited A&E were there appropriately. 
And 22% of people could be managed by a GP working in the emergency department. 
However, the 15% who could be seen in the community equates to 2.1 million attendances. 

Only one in seven patients attending A&E could have been seen by a GP in the community, new research has shown. 
Findings released by the College of Emergency Medicine (CEM) show that 85% of patients who visited A&E were there appropriately. 
And 22% of people could be managed by a GP working in the emergency department. 
However, the 15% who could be seen in the community equates to 2.1 million attendances. 
The college has called for a “more appropriate resource” for those patients. 
Dr Clifford Mann, president of the College of Emergency Medicine, said: “The fact that only 15% of attendees at Emergency Departments could be safely redirected to a primary care clinician without the need for emergency department assessment is a statistic that must be heeded by those who wish to reconfigure services. 
“Decongesting emergency departments is key to relieving the unprecedented levels of pressure placed upon them and improving patient care. This is one of the key principles outlined in our call for action: The 10 Priorities to solve the Emergency Medicine Crisis." 
The research, conducted by Candesic also found that 63% of attendees within the emergency department needed the skills of a specialist emergency medicine doctor, and 28% were admitted to hospital. 
The group for whom redirection was least probable were the elderly, the research showed. 

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