NHS crisis: GP blames 'Amazon Prime mentality' on surge in A&E demand

A GP says 'Amazon Prime mentality' is to blame for A&E crisis.
A GP says 'Amazon Prime mentality' is to blame for A&E crisis.
Stefan Rousseau
Max Parry

By Max Parry


Published: 25/10/2021

- 15:22

Updated: 14/02/2023

- 11:42

Dr Jonathan Griffiths says many patients have an 'inability to wait for anything'

The UK's 'Amazon Prime mentality' has been blamed by a well-known GP for a hike in requests for emergency NHS care.

Dr Jonathan Griffiths has said patients are arriving at A&E in growing numbers, despite having non-urgent symptoms that GPs could treat.


Dr Griffiths compared the issue to Amazon's same-day delivery services, going on that many have 'high expectations' and suffer from an 'inability to wait for anything'.

However some patients have reported that they are finding it difficult to find an in-person appointment with their GP during the Covid crisis.

Dr Griffiths, a Cheshire GP, made these remarks in an online post on the pressures on the health service, and A&E particularly.

'We talked about the "Amazon Prime" mentality that we all now have – high expectations and inability to wait for anything.'

'There are significant numbers of people aged 30-50 presenting to the ED with undifferentiated symptoms that are possibly better managed by GPs.

'These individuals do not want to wait for GP assessment and want everything investigated and sorted in one trip.

Health workers in the accident and emergency (A&E) department at Whiston Hospital in Merseyside.
Health workers in the accident and emergency (A&E) department at Whiston Hospital in Merseyside.
Peter Byrne

'By and large, they have nothing wrong with them and should never have been there in the first place.'

These comments emerge during an ongoing row about a limited face-to-face appointments, with some doctors threatening to start striking over the Government's intention to reveal the identities of the worst performers.

Dr Griffiths added: 'In our conversation we were both concerned that people seem to be less able to self-manage minor illness and seem to be presenting at earlier stages.

'This is certainly true in General Practice where we are seeing patients seeking help after a few hours of a sore throat or cough.

Health workers in the accident and emergency (A&E) department at Whiston Hospital.
Health workers in the accident and emergency (A&E) department at Whiston Hospital.
Peter Byrne

'It seems a proportion of these patients are also heading to the ED.'

Dr Griffiths, who had a five-minute Zoom chat with Prince William earlier this year about Covid vaccines, acknowledged in a post that many other services for conditions including cancer may have worsened during the pandemic.

'During the first wave of the Covid pandemic, numbers attending [ED] dropped significantly, but numbers have been slowly rising since then and now are higher than ever.

'We cannot escape the fact that there has been an increase in numbers of patients attending who would usually have been expected to have been managed in Primary Care.'

Dr Griffiths said there were 'multiple factors' at play, including GPs and administrative staff at surgeries advising patients go to A&E because they are too busy.

'Some patients are saying that they are being told to go to the ED by their GP. My consultant colleague is aware that this is not necessarily always the case.

'Some people may have been advised this. Of those who have, some of those may have been advised to do so by reception staff, some by clinicians.

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