A&E wants to filter out minor cases
Monday 23rd August 2010A doctor could be used to filter out patients and ease the pressure on the accident and emergency department at the James Paget University Hospital.
It follows a pilot project in the winter when a GP was asked to check out people attending the emergency department for minor matters.
Local representatives have also visited Derriford Hospital, in Plymouth, to learn about a similar scheme is working there.
The initiative is one of a number of ideas in the offing and comes shortly after the record attendance on Monday, August 9, when 253 people went to the A&E department; itÂ’s usually nearer 200.
A hospital consultant said that inappropriate use of A&E was a real problem because it made the queues for treatment longer.
It created an unnecessary workload for staff when they ought to be concentrating all their efforts on patients with serious conditions.
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