Sky News Daily What is health anxiety and is it clogging up the NHS?
Feb 13, 2025
Join health correspondent Ashish Joshi, who delves into the surge in health anxiety affecting NHS resources. He highlights the alarming rise in unnecessary A&E visits, particularly among younger patients, driven by post-COVID worries. Joshi discusses the strain on emergency departments, especially during winter, causing long waits for care. He also speaks with Dr. Adrian Boyle about potential solutions to improve A&E waiting times amidst ongoing overcrowding and infrastructure challenges that persist in the NHS.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Unnecessary ED Visits
- Clinicians at Royal Berkshire Hospital observe that a significant percentage of patients in the emergency department do not require emergency care.
- They report seeing patients with minor issues like brief chest pain, fearing heart attacks, highlighting increased health anxiety.
Defining Health Anxiety
- Health anxiety is defined as excessive worry about one's health, often leading to unnecessary medical attention.
- An example is someone finding a small lump and immediately assuming it's cancer, rushing to the ED.
GPs and Health Anxiety
- Dr. Amit Shah, a GP, notes a surge in younger patients (20s-40s) with health anxieties, crowding his waiting room.
- He attributes this to increased health awareness post-pandemic, with people overly concerned about minor symptoms.