A WOMAN who broke her fingernail on her way to a nightclub went to A&E because she wanted medics to re-glue it.

The bizarre case is among the list of unnecessary patients clogging up Dorset’s A&E departments, the Daily Echo can today reveal.

Figures suggest as many as 10,000 people who go to each hospital every year could care for themselves or receive more appropriate treatment elsewhere.

As well as the fingernail patient, Poole Hospital, which sees 66,000 people in A&E a year, said someone once came in to ask for a bed for the night because 'they couldn't get a good night's sleep at home.'

Another patient demanded treatment for a paper cut and even a mild sore throat.

At RBH, which last year treated 75,316 A&E patients, inappropriate complaints include someone with a cold sore, mild sun burn and to request a prescription.

A single visit to A&E costs a minimum of £59 just to be seen and unnecessary attendances cost thousands of pounds as well as the extra strain on NHS staff.

Both hospitals have urged people to only go to A&E when their condition is a genuine emergency.

Geoffrey Walker, matron for emergency care at Poole, said: "Our A&E department sees around 66,000 patients a year. Estimates vary, but research by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine published last year found that in up to 15 per cent of patients could have received care more appropriately elsewhere in their study of 12 A&E departments.

“A&E departments are for serious illness or injury, and it’s important to stress that the vast majority of patients do access the service appropriately. For those that don’t need A&E, there are many alternatives to A&E where peoples’ health needs may be met more appropriately, and which could offer faster access to care.

“These include GPs, including out of hours, walk-in centres and minor injuries units, pharmacists and the NHS 111 telephone service. Using these services where appropriate means our focus can be on patients that really need to be in an A&E unit.”

Richard Renaut, chief operating officer for RBH, said: “During times of increased pressure on our services, it is particularly important that the public make informed decisions about the most appropriate way to access the care they need. While we will always do our best for everyone who comes to ED, time spent treating minor ailments reduces the time we have to treat seriously unwell patients who come through our doors.”

For A&E alternatives, go to staywelldorset.nhs.uk.