Study shows one in seven A&E patients are repeat visitors

One in seven A&E patients are repeat visitors with unmet medical needs who feel they have nowhere else to go, according to research that found most are 70 or over with multiple conditions or 50 and under with mental ill-health.

- Andrew Gregory

Less than 2% of the population account for almost 14% of all A&E visits, the British Red Cross study suggests. Across the UK, patients were turning to emergency departments five or more times a year because of "unresolved medical issues", the charity warned.

"Many of those frequently attending A&E had often tried to get other help, but this had not met their needs," the report said. "This meant that when they reached A&E, they were often in need of more urgent care."

The research, published today, came as NHS England's top A&E doctor urged people to use 111 services this winter and suggested as many as two in five people arriving at A&E could be better treated elsewhere.

Frontline emergency doctors have sounded the alarm over an approaching winter crisis that they say is already putting patients in overstretched A&E departments at risk.