Can a targeted letter and leaflet sent to households living in areas with high rates of non-urgent A&E attendance reduce A&E attendance rates in these areas?

Can a letter and leaflet sent to households in Medway neighbourhoods identified as having high A&E use for minor ailments reduce Category D (i.e. minor) A&E attendance rates in those areas?

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN84242914

Enrollment

52000

Registered

2015-05-21

Start date

2015-03-02

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2018-07-02

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Non-urgent attendance at A&E Not Applicable

Interventions

The treatment arm will receive a targeted letter and leaflet highlighting local alternatives to A&E which can be used in non-urgent situations. The control group will receive no letter or leaflet.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Live in a neighbourhood with high levels of non-urgent attendance at Medway Hospital A&E based on HES statistics

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: Those not living in target neighbourhoods

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Attendance rates at Medway Maritime Hospital from the intervention neighbourhoods compared to the control neighbourhoods. Attendance rates for minor ailments (Category D as defined in our protocol) per capita at baseline, 1, 3 and 6 months after the letter is sent. Attendance rates are routinely available from the Hospital Episode Statistics data available to DH via HSCIC.	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Overall A&E attendance rates per capita at baseline, 1, 3 and 6 months after the letter is sent. This data is also available via HSCIC. Both primary and secondary outcomes will be analysed for any interaction with deprivation using postcodes as proxy.	—

Countries

United Kingdom

Contacts

Public ContactLaura Freeman

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026