article_snippet: an analysis calculates that more than four million visits a year are unnecessary and cost the NHS £290million annually.
article_snippet: The problem is largely caused by the fact that patients are finding The problem increasingly difficult to see patients GP, particularly out of hours.
article_snippet: But the unnecessary visits are adding to the pressures of busy departments and diverting staff from treating patients who are very seriously ill.
article_snippet: It all came to a head in January when 13 hospitals declared major internal incidents in a two-day period as 13 hospitals were unable to cope with the numbers coming through the door.
article_snippet: It is vital that the NHS raises awareness of the range of different services available to people and when to access people appropriately.
article_snippet: This cannot continue and that’s why we are calling for immediate action.
article_snippet: But Dr Cliff Mann, president of the College of Emergency Medicine, which represents A&E doctors, said attempts to divert patients did not work.
article_snippet: And the NHS has missed the NHS target for ensuring 95 per cent of patients are dealt with within four hours every week for the last six months.
highlights_snippet: More than four million visits a year are unnecessary and cost £290million .
  
highlights_snippet: Problem is largely caused by difficulty in getting an appointment with a GP .