A&Es 'under siege' from hiccups, blocked noses and ingrown toenails as NHS bosses warn they're 'busier than ever'

NHS figures show more than 200,000 patients arrived in emergency departments in England in the last year with conditions that could have been dealt with elsewhere.

Tens of thousands of cases of itchy skin and earaches were reported, along with 8,669 sore throats and 384 people with hiccups.

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More than 6,000 people arrived in waiting rooms with blocked noses and 3,890 cases of ingrowing toenails were seen between November 2024 and March 2025.

NHS England believes these people could have gone to GPs or pharmacists, instead of piling pressure onto the country's already overwhelmed A&E services.

After being told A&Es were "busier than ever", health leaders have been keen to stress the range of places patients can access care.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting told Good Morning Britain on Tuesday: "A&Es should be accident and emergency, not anything and everything."

Concerns have also been raised about the increasing levels of flu cases and the forthcoming resident doctor strikes in England, which is planned for five days from December 17.

Mr Streeting said: "This winter will be one of the busiest ever for our hard-working NHS staff dealing with soaring flu cases and tough pressures across A&Es up and down the country.

"That will be made even harder by the BMA's dangerously reckless decision to strike in the run-up to Christmas, causing real anxiety for patients and their families at such an important time of the year.

"We are doing all we can to make sure patients are kept safe and get the right care during this time of intense pressure.

"We can all do our bit this winter by making sure we only use A&E in for genuine accidents and emergencies."