The Scottish government is urging people to avoid A&E - your views

Intro

Avoid A&E

The Scottish government is urging people to avoid A&E unless they have a ‘life-threatening’ condition to prevent the NHS being overwhelmed this winter

Brian Monaghan

Pre-empting the January rise in Covid cases due to their absurd decision to allow a five-day lax in their restrictions to celebrate a kid on religious festival.

Angus Clement

Many non emergencies go to A&E instead of minor injuries clinic, causing delays for people with life threatening illnesses / injuries and moan when they have to wait for hours.

Stephen Ball

I’m sure most people would avoid going to hospital unless they had to. However, more needs to be done to allow people to visit their GP! GPs haven’t really being doing their usual workload recently. If people can’t see a GP, then they will just go to hospital.

Tom Young

And there was me thinking that the NHS was here to protect us!

Bobby Bravado

I try to avoid A&E as much as I can, but as a citizen I expect a service from the administration who work for the public, not the other way round, provided via taxpayers’ money.

Tracy Falconer

Are the NHS in this way because of not enough money being pumped in. Because if they did, the NHS wouldn't be struggling.

Joseph Macrae

Well, I doubt they would be going in there unless it was an emergency. What a stupid thing for a so-called government to say.

Gill Stewart

Don’t think that’s what they’re saying at all. Many people go to A&E with minor things.

Lucy Chambers

Unfortunately it comes down to common sense and many don’t have it. People arrive with minor ailments. Hospitals have the room but not the staff. There’s more elderly patients admitted in the winter months. More falls due to weather. Then you have the seasonal flu and your other emergencies, heart attacks, strokes plus Covid. Staff get ill and NHS is often understaffed. Winters are problematic and this year obviously much more so.

John Skilbeck

It’s becoming a joke – don’t go to the doctors, don’t go to A&E. Just close it down and send paramedics to people’s houses instead. There are ill people dying everyday because they can’t get care. Why don’t they turn a building into an A&E and treat people there? Why is our major hospital for the whole area closed to most people because of Covid? Why did they not make one place where people with Covid are take, so all people needing treatments for cancers and other life threatening conditions can be treated?

Kirsty Ann Fraser

I went to A&E as I couldn't get a GP appointment and I’d been turned away from minor injuries for an X-ray as it wasn't a minor injury. Advised it was an issue with my Achilles tendon. The hospital advised there was "nothing more they could do for me". They sent a letter to my doctor. I ended up with a telephone appointment (twice) with my GP, who then sent a letter to X-ray, I then had to phone for an appointment at the same hospital. I’m currently a key worker and consider myself to be a sensible person but I was really upset my this. Its been a waste of my time and theirs. The hospital staff were largely rude to me and basically said I shouldn't have come. What are people to do? Can't see a GP, get turned away from other services and A&E ends up being your only option. I understand only too well how bad the pandemic is, but normal folks still need access to medical care.

Lee Meikle

That’s the one place I’ve genuinely been avoiding since the pandemic started, not only to help with overwhelming the NHS, but I fear that’s where I would most likely catch the virus and then come out and spread it. I broke my rib a couple months ago and did need to go to the hospital but I didn’t go.

Paul Lewis

I phoned my doctor and got a message that unless it was an emergency I should go on line and complete an NHS referral questionnaire. I went on line filled out the questionnaire. Resulting answer.....phone your doctor!

Jenny Lee

Reading some of the comments here, I consider myself very fortunate that I am registered at such a good GP surgery. Every member of staff from the receptionists to the GPs have been excellent. A&E is just that, an accident and emergency department. It's not a "drop in" centre for anyone who fancies turning up because they've got a splinter in their finger or have had too much to drink.

Donna Robertson

Everyone’s been avoiding it and GP surgeries are going to have a lot of sick people when this is over.