A&E queue jumpers fake their symptoms

AIRPORT-style check-in kiosks in A&E departments may have to be scrapped because patients are faking symptoms to jump the queue.

The pioneering system was introduced by Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals in 2012 to try to ensure the most urgent cases were seen first.

But bosses say it may have to be overhauled or scrapped because too many patients are exaggerating their pain or inventing symptoms.

The Care Express self-check-in system is being used in the minor injuries units at Hull Royal Infirmary and the Castle Hill Hospital, in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Patients enter their name, date of birth and answer questions about their symptoms. If they enter any details which are particularly concerning, they are flagged up on the system and seen within eight minutes.

But Kevin Phillips, chief medical officer, said: ‘People who are not that sick are entering details which make them look sicker.’