Christmas A&E visits warning for elderly

By The Press Association23rd December 2014News EnglandNews England, NHS, Older People

Elderly people are being warned not to store up their health problems for the holidays, for fear they will end up in busy emergency departments with more serious illnesses.

A leading doctor has said studies show people left on their own over Christmas are more likely to end up in A&E with worse problems, because of links between loneliness and admissions to hospital.

A recent study from the South West Academic Health Science Network showed that 86% of over-75s were admitted to A&E from their own homes, and 45% said they were socially isolated.

Professor Keith Willett, NHS England’s Director for Acute Care, said people feeling ill should try to get treatment as soon as possible, rather than waiting for the festive period or January.

He echoed Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s call last month for people to visit pharmacies to treat minor ailments rather than visiting their GP or A&E.

Prof Willett said the aim this Christmas is to “keep people out of busy A&E departments as far as possible”.

Recent figures showed hospitals are admitting the highest number of emergency patients since records began, with 111,062 emergency admissions last week.

Prof Willett said: “We often see a sharp spike in emergency admissions at this time of year and we know that the majority of these are elderly people who have stored up a health problem at home and haven’t sought treatment early hoping it will ‘go away’.”

In preparation for Christmas, he advised people to ensure they had any medicines they need for the holiday period, and to call the NHS’s 111 helpline if advice is needed, or visit the GP if appropriate.