Table 3 Top five reasons for not contacting the GP first (n = 72)

Reason	No (%)
Perceived severity or urgency of their condition	21 (29)
Primary care services are not available out of hours	16 (22)
Contacting a GP will lead to unacceptable delays	12 (17)
Unable to attend the GP’s surgery due to a lack of mobility	8 (11)
Contacting a GP will inevitably lead to ED referral	4 (6)
Not registered with a GP	2 (3)

ED, emergency department. Patients or accompanying relatives were also asked what they would do if the same problem occurred in the future (n = 200). The results are shown in table 4.

ED, emergency department. Patients or accompanying relatives were also asked what they would do if the same problem occurred in the future (n = 200). The results are shown in table 4.