Voices: ‘Only way to be seen earlier’: Readers on why millions go to A&E with minor health problems

Between 2020/21 and 2024/25, almost 1.4 million A&E attendances were for a cough, while 1.2 million sought help for a sore throat - (Getty Images)

Independent readers reacting to figures showing millions of minor ailments clogging A&E said the crisis isn’t down to patients – it’s a system pushed to breaking point.

Many argued that impossible waits for GP appointments – sometimes stretching weeks – leave people no choice but to turn up at A&E, often for conditions that could have been treated much earlier.