A fifth of patients turning up in A & E have minor ailments including sore throats , athlete 's foot and headlice , according to an analysis . It calculates that more than four million visits a year are unnecessary and cost the NHS £290million annually . In the worst cases , doctors have reported patients showing up because they were hungover , their false nails were hurting or they had paint in their hair . The problem is largely caused by the fact that patients are finding it increasingly difficult to see their GP , particularly out of hours . A fifth of patients turning up in A & E have minor ailments including sore throats , athlete 's foot and headlice , a study has found ( file picture ) Many go to A & E in the knowledge that they will at least be seen by a doctor that day , even if they have to wait four hours . Even Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has admitted taking his children to casualty at the weekend rather than making an appointment with a GP . But the unnecessary visits are adding to the pressures of busy departments and diverting staff from treating patients who are very seriously ill . It all came to a head in January when 13 hospitals declared major internal incidents in a two-day period as they were unable to cope with the numbers coming through the door . An analysis of data from 15 A & E units by the consultancy firm IMS Health found that 19 per cent of admissions were for what are known as self-treatable conditions . These include coughs , colds , muscle sprains , athlete 's foot , headlice or babies with colic . The data covers one in 10 of the A & E units across England so , if the trends are the same , an estimated 4.1million of the 21.7million visits last year were for minor ailments . Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has admitted taking his children to casualty at the weekend rather than making an appointment with a GP . Experts are urging patients to keep their medicine cabinets well stocked and to make better use of their pharmacists , where they can be seen and offered advice and treatment . Matthew Speers , chief executive of the Proprietary Association of Great Britain , which represents the manufacturers of over the counter medicines and commissioned the research said : ‘ It is vital that the NHS raises awareness of the range of different services available to people and when to access them appropriately . ‘ Pharmacists are well placed to provide advice to people with minor conditions , who don ’ t need to visit the GP or A & E , thereby ensuring they receive the support they need , without diverting NHS resources from people who really need them. ’ He added that the NHS was facing a ‘ crisis ’ because staffing levels and finances were unable to cope with the needs of the steadily rising and aging population . ‘ This can not continue and that ’ s why we are calling for immediate action. ’ But Dr Cliff Mann , president of the College of Emergency Medicine , which represents A & E doctors , said attempts to divert patients did not work . Dr Mann , an A & E consultant at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton , Dorset , added that the ‘ A & E brand is well-known and trusted ’ so ‘ patients will continue to attend ’ . He said the only solution was to install GP clinics at A & E units so patients with minor ailments could be sent there , leaving staff to deal with the more serious cases . Figures show that 21.7million patients attended A & E in 2013/14 , a rise of more than a third in a decade . And the NHS has missed its target for ensuring 95 per cent of patients are dealt with within four hours every week for the last six months . In November , Jeremy Hunt admitted in the Commons he had taken his own children to A & E ‘ precisely because I didn ’ t want to wait until later on to take them to a GP ’ . ‘ If parents have an unwell child who needs medical attention A & E provides a trusted service . ’
A fifth of A & E patients have self-treatable conditions such as athlete 's foot . More than four million visits a year are unnecessary and cost £290million . Doctors have even had patients turn up at A & E because they are hungover . Problem is largely caused by difficulty in getting an appointment with a GP .