Man Attends A&E For Sore Throat After Being Told GP Appointment Available In 2027
A man rushed to A&E with a sore throat after discovering the next GP appointment available was in the summer of 2027.
SLOUGH, ENGLAND — A local man has been commended by NHS officials after responsibly attending Accident & Emergency for a mild sore throat, having been informed that the earliest available GP appointment was scheduled for late spring 2027.
James Whitmore, 34, said he initially attempted to “do the right thing” by contacting his GP surgery at 8:01am on Monday morning, only to be greeted by a recorded message thanking him for calling, apologising for “unusually high demand,” and assuring him his call was important… before disconnecting.
“I tried again at 8:02,” Whitmore said. “Then 8:03. Then 8:17.”
After successfully reaching a receptionist at 8:46am, Whitmore was informed that no appointments were currently available, but that he could book a routine telephone consultation in approximately 17 months, assuming his throat remained sore.
Whitmore instead chose to attend A&E, joining an estimated 140 other patients who had also made the decision to seek immediate medical attention for issues ranging from chest pain to “a weird rash that Google said could be either nothing or the end.”
An NHS spokesperson later confirmed that Whitmore’s decision was “entirely understandable,” adding that A&E departments remain open 24/7 specifically to absorb all unmet demand from every other part of the healthcare system.
“Patients are repeatedly told not to attend A&E for minor conditions,” the spokesperson said, “but we also provide no meaningful alternative, which creates a fun little puzzle for the public to solve.”
Whitmore arrived at A&E at 10:12am and was triaged at 10:48am, at which point a nurse confirmed that his sore throat was “almost certainly viral,” and “probably fine.”
He was then invited to take a seat and wait.
And wait.
And wait.
By 4pm, Whitmore had completed an entire phone battery cycle, and developed a bond with a man named Trevor who had been waiting since Sunday.
At 8:57pm, Whitmore was finally seen by a junior doctor, who examined his throat, nodded sympathetically, and advised rest, fluids, and paracetamol… the exact advice Whitmore had hoped to receive from his GP.
Health officials were quick to reassure the public that stories like Whitmore’s do not indicate systemic strain, but rather demonstrate the efficiency and flexibility of the NHS when citizens are willing to lower expectations to a medically appropriate level.
Asked whether long GP wait times might be contributing to record A&E attendance, the advisor said the NHS was “aware of the theory” and was commissioning a report to explore the possibility by 2031.
Meanwhile, Whitmore says he is feeling much better and is optimistic about the future.
“My throat cleared up the next morning,” he said. “But I’ve kept the 2027 GP appointment. You never know.”
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