ONE in nine visits to Southampton’s A&E department were made by patients with no obvious medical condition, costing the NHS millions of pounds.

NHS Digital data shows that roughly 15,610 admissions had a primary diagnosis of "nothing abnormal detected" at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS) in 2019 to 2020.

The visits cost UHS around £2.3 million last year.

One Southampton MP has said that visits such as these put "extra pressure" on an "already busy" NHS.

These attendances accounted for 11 per cent of all A&E activity at the trust over the period – among the highest proportions of 137 trusts which submitted data.

The NHS says A&E is for serious and life-threatening emergencies, with patients urged to call 111 over other urgent illnesses.

MP for Southampton Test, Alan Whitehead, told the Daily Echo: "There will be many reasons for a person turning up to A&E only to be discharged with 'nothing abnormal' being detected, however sometimes people are going to A&E when it is not appropriate or proportionate to do so.

"This will put extra pressure on an already busy service.

"I would urge anyone who is feeling unwell or worried about their health to always get it checked out, especially at the moment when the NHS is worried about people putting this off due to COVID, however go through the most appropriate route if it's not an emergency whether that be calling 111 or their GP."

Royston Smith, MP for Southampton Test, added: "It is important that people attend A&E if urgent medical help is required.

"A&E services continue to be open as normal throughout the pandemic. If people are unsure, they should contact NHS 111 where it is also possible to book a slot at A&E to minimise waiting times."

At Southampton University Hospital, conditions affecting the eye were the most common issues in 2019-20 – for which a diagnosis was listed – accounting for 19,055 emergency episodes.

Across all trusts in England which provided figures, £178 million was spent on 1.1 million non-urgent A&E attendances in 2019-20.

The Daily Echo contacted UHS for a comment but they have yet to respond.