Overview
- Press Association analysis of 2020/21 to 2024/25 records almost 1.9 million headaches, about 1.4 million coughs and 1 million earaches presenting to emergency departments.
- Attendances for cough increased from 44,962 in 2020/21 to 435,728 in 2024/25, with rises also in diarrhoea (59,120 to 143,591), backache (211,266 to 396,724), constipation (40,962 to 70,933), nausea (9,795 to 20,516) and hiccups (587 to 1,093).
- In 2024/25, clinicians recorded “no abnormality detected” in 2.2 million attendances, and more than half a million patients left before a first diagnosis.
- Serious emergencies were relatively steady over the period, including cardiac arrest attendances (10,293 in 2020/21 versus 10,744 in 2024/25) and broken hips (43,646 versus 43,326).
- NHS England is urging use of NHS 111, pharmacies and walk‑in centres for non‑urgent care, and the government says 500 new ambulances are being deployed to refresh fleets and reduce response times.