Shropshire Star

Youngsters used to Amazon and McDonald's more likely to go to A&E, claim

Young people are the most likely age-group to go straight to A&E unnecessarily rather than try to get a GP appointment, a local NHS chief said.

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Telford and Wrekin CCG chief officer David Evans said they did not want to wait days for an appointment because they expect “instantaneous service”, having been brought up on fast food and online shopping.

He made the claim as the borough’s Health and Wellbeing Board heard it took some patients up to three weeks just to get a telephone conversation with a GP.

Mr Evans was updating the panel on the CCG’s progress against the nationwide NHS Long-Term Plan, and said many of the measures it called for were already in the pipeline in Telford and Wrekin.

He said the plan, published in January, aimed for the NHS to encourage healthy lifestyles and intervene earlier to prevent conditions becoming serious.

“I don’t think there is anything in the NHS plan that we haven’t already signed up to at Health and Wellbeing Board, council or CCG level,” Mr Evans said.

“I think we were well down this road before the NHS Long-Term Plan came out.”

Councillor Jacqui Seymour expressed concern that the move towards online services, such as appointment booking, might alienate patients, especially older ones, who are not online.

Mr Evans said: “Digital won’t replace anything, but it will work alongside.”

He added that: “The younger generation go to GPs less.

“They usually pitch up at A&E because they want an instantaneous service because they’re used to McDonald’s. They shop with Amazon because it delivers next-day.”

Barry Parnaby is a board member at Telford and Wrekin Healthwatch, and independent patients’ champion organisation.

He said: “One of the main things that comes back from Healthwatch is the lack of ability to get a GP’s appointment.

“That puts pressure on A&E because they end up going there.

“People are waiting three weeks for even a telephone conversation with a doctor.”

Story by Local Democracy Reporter Alex Moore