Fears over NHS queues force a QUARTER of patients to self-treat – as Britons treat themselves rather than queue for hours at A&E

A study finds that long wait times are fueling an epidemic of DIY emergency care, with patients avoiding hospital care and treating themselves at home.

A quarter of patients reported that they had sought help themselves in the past two years rather than waiting hours for a doctor or nurse in the emergency room.

Nearly a fifth of them ignored advice from their GP or NHS 111 to go to A&E, while more than half (56 percent) reported being in pain.

One in ten made their own sling to support a limb, while around a third (31 percent) treated their own wounds or prescribed medication to avoid the journey.

The survey of 2,213 adults in the UK was commissioned by the Liberal Democrats earlier this month.

Up to 15 ambulances carrying patients are queuing outside the emergency department of Bolton hospital

Deputy leader of the party, Daisy Cooper MP, said it painted a bleak picture of the state of the NHS

Deputy leader Daisy Cooper MP said it painted a bleak picture of the state of the NHS, which had become a key battleground in the run-up to the general election.

She urged the new government not to waste time in drawing up a winter plan.

She said: ‘From homemade slings to self-care, Conservative ministers have left behind an epidemic of DIY A&E problems.

‘There is no time to lose: the new government must come up with a plan to prevent a crisis in emergency room waiting times this winter.’

It follows a record year for emergency department visits and waiting times, with more than 1,100 patients waiting more than 12 hours before being admitted to hospital for an emergency every day.

Between April 2023 and March 2024, 18,638 people had to wait longer than three days in the Emergency Department. That is 60 percent more than the 11,631 in the previous 12 months.

For the latest survey, patients were asked if they had ever had to go to the emergency room in the past two years but decided not to because they thought the treatment would take too long.

A quarter of patients said they had used self-help in the past two years rather than wait hours for an emergency doctor or nurse.

About 25 percent said yes, 71 percent said no, and four percent didn’t know.

The findings showed that four in 10 patients made an appointment with their GP (40 percent), almost a third treated themselves with medication (31 percent) and a fifth took time off work to recover (20 percent).

Experts say self-help can have devastating consequences. Research shows that the risk of death increases after waiting five hours in an emergency room, and that the risk increases as time passes.

Earlier this year, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine estimated that more than 250 patients a week were dying needlessly due to long A&E waits in England.

This does not take into account those who do not reach the emergency room, so the number could be much higher.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘We inherited a broken NHS and it is unacceptable that so many people are having to wait longer than necessary for care.

‘Our mission is to get the health service back on its feet and build an NHS fit for the future. We know waiting lists are too high and that’s one of the reasons why the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has ordered a full independent inquiry into the state of the NHS to reveal the scale of the problem.

‘We are tackling the biggest challenges facing the NHS head-on by delivering 40,000 extra appointments every week and adapting primary care to ensure patients are treated before they go to A&E. We are starting by recruiting 1,000 extra GPs with an additional £82 million in funding.’