title: Emergency departments: better safe than sorry?
abstract: Emergency departments (EDs) in the UK are under increasing pressure, partly because people use them inappropriately for non-urgent conditions. As part of NHS Wales Choose Well campaign, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, based in Bangor, Gwynedd, commissioned research into public perceptions of EDs and alternative urgent care services. This article reports on the findings, one of which is that parents tend to choose EDs as the default option when their children are unwell. The article also asks how public trust in other NHS services can be built so that demand on EDs can be reduced.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Wales.|Glyndŵr University, Wrexham.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Atenstaedt
authors.affiliation: Social research and campaign company Social Change UK, Lincoln.
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Evans
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002755:Choice Behavior; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013222:State Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014852:Wales
keywords: Choose Well campaign; GPs; attendance; emergency departments; minor injuries; non-urgent care