GP surgeries should be placed in casualty units to see patients who turn up at hospital inappropriately, family doctors say.
Three out of five polled believe the measure would slash waiting times at stretched accident and emergency departments.
The survey of more than 500 doctors found 27% believe up to a third go to A&E when they should see a GP or nurse. Some 13% said more than half should be sent to GPs on arrival. Three quarters said people turned up inappropriately believing they would be seen faster.
NHS figures show about 13% who attend A&E are discharged without requiring treatment. A further 35% are given advice or guidance only.
Some 74% of doctors quizzed said patients misunderstood the purpose of A&Es, which now routinely miss a target to deal with 95% of patients within four hours.
One told the poll for the Press Association: “Inappropriate A&E attendances should be redirected and patients given education at the same time.”
But another insisted: “We should not discourage patients from attending A&E, but should provide the services they need and want at one convenient destination.”
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