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Patient went all the way to A&E about dandruff, medic reveals
25 August 2022, 17:09
The Deputy Medical Director said that 'the tolerance and threshold' of which people seek medical care for 'has continued to reduce'.
It has been revealed by a medic that a patient in the UK attended A&E recently about their dandruff.
The patient, whose identity is unknown, is said to have visited Luton and Dunstable Hospital's Emergency Department two weeks ago because of the scalp issues.
Following the incident, people are being told to do their bit to help reduce waiting times in A&E, including using common sense to decide if they need to seek urgent medical care.
Consultant Dave Kirby, who is the Deputy Medical Director at the Bedfordshire Trust, spoke about the pressures the hospital staff are under, and the dandruff incident, in a council meeting.
According to reports from ITV, he said during the meeting: "The tolerance and threshold at which society seeks medical care has continued to reduce.
"Now people want to see a doctor, a nurse or a pharmacist about pretty much anything. There's no such thing as a quiet time of day."
He added that A&E numbers have increased from one or two cases an hour to 15-20 an hour each night.
Consultant Kirby said: "It depends on how many people turn up, the cubicle spaces availability, and a patient's condition. If you're desperately sick, there's no waiting time.
"If you arrive with dandruff, like someone two weeks ago, you'll wait a long time. It varies between half an hour and three to three-and-a-half hours."
Sadly, he added that the hospital are seeing an increase of violence and aggression taken out on staff.
It has got so bad that they now have 24 hour security in the A&E department.
He said: "We're looking into body worn video cameras for our clinical leaders there."
