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Probe into patients' A&E 'misuse' Probe into patients' A&E 'misuse'
(30 minutes later)
The number of patients who use Accident and Emergency departments when they do not need to is being investigated by the Health Minister. The number of patients who use Accident and Emergency departments when they do not need to is to be investigated by the Health Minister.
Edwina Hart AM has asked for figures to be collected on patients who use A&E when they could instead see their GP.Edwina Hart AM has asked for figures to be collected on patients who use A&E when they could instead see their GP.
She has also asked for separate information on how much effect alcohol consumption has on those statistics.She has also asked for separate information on how much effect alcohol consumption has on those statistics.
It comes amid concern over the increasing pressure put on casualty departments.It comes amid concern over the increasing pressure put on casualty departments.
Dr Ahmed Kamal, who works as a consultant at the A&E in the Royal Glamorgan Hospital, Llantrisant, said his department was now seeing an average 200 patients every day - and of those, he estimated up to 40% should be seeing their GP instead.
It's wild, aggressive, with a faster pace than what you expect normally and, okay, on occasions it's frightening Dr Ahmed Kamal, on Saturday nights in A&E
"The spectrum's quite variable from anything to do with long-term problems, for example back pain, ear ache, psychological problems," he said.
"There's various reasons for that but one of the most obvious recent reasons is the change of the working patterns of GPs.
"So understandably the patients become frustrated of long waiting times to see their own doctors and they elect to come to the [A&E] departments to be seen and assessed and treated."
He said he would like to see politicians visiting A&E on weekend nights to see the reality staff face dealing with alcohol-related incidents.
Improvement plans
"It's a completely different place," he said.
"It's wild, aggressive, with a faster pace than what you expect normally and, okay, on occasions it's frightening.
A spokesman for the Welsh Assembly Government said the Health Minister will announce next week plans to improve emergency care in Wales.
He added the investigation into A&E misuse would include figures of patients under the influence of alcohol in an attempt to cut down on violence towards hospital staff.
"The move to include data which identifies the presence of alcohol in the presenting patient will be used to help identify whether there are any patterns to the problem, what can be done to reduce the number of accidents where alcohol has played a contributory factor and to assist with reducing violence against NHS staff," he said.
"This indicates the assembly government's concern of alcohol abuse and the role it plays in increasing the need for emergency treatment and the associated relationship with abuse of NHS staff."