A survey of the expectations of self-referred patients and their accompanying relatives and friends of an A&E service: Part One

This is the first of a two-part research paper which sought to establish what the general public expect from an A&E service, so that gaps in staff training could be identified and the public’s opinions could be taken into account in strategic service planning. Prior to this study there had been much debate, among A&E healthcare professionals, about the purpose of the A&E service and which people were therefore attending inappropriately. These people are identified as ‘inappropriate attenders’.