People who attend A&E more than five times each year account for 16% of A&E attendances, 29% of ambulance journeys and 27% of non-elective admissions.
Sheffield Hospitals Charity has provided funding to create a High Intensity Use (HIU) service in Sheffield to work with patients who present to A&E more than five times in a 12-month period. The service will be delivered by the British Red Cross and is expected to replicate the success of HIU work elsewhere, which includes significant reductions in A&E attendances, non-elective admissions and 999 calls.
The HIU service, developed by NHS England, offers a robust way of supporting people who present frequently at A&E, to uncover and address unmet needs.
There is a high correlation with high intensity A&E attendance and mental health challenges, homelessness, alcohol and substance misuse, and people who have recently spent time in prison.
The HIU service takes a 1:1 coaching approach, identifying those who use mental and physical health services more than expected. This method is de-medicalised, the behaviour de-criminalised, and the person is humanised.
Legal and General awarded Sheffield Hospitals Charity £75,000 as part of their Health Equity Fund for the project. The fund supports initiatives tackling the driving forces behind health inequality in the UK.
Chris Powell-Wiffen, Operations Director, Acute & Emergency Medicine and Pharmacy Services, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals said:
“The collaboration between the Sheffield Hospitals Charity, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals and the British Red Cross marks a major step toward providing more compassionate, coordinated, and proactive care for some of our most vulnerable patients. It reflects our commitment to not just treating illness but improving lives. This service is about seeing the person behind the patient. By offering tailored support for often face complex challenges and building trust, we can reduce crises, improve wellbeing, and help people find stability in their health and lives while reducing avoidable hospital visits.”
Rachel Carter, Programme Delivery Manager for North England and Isle of Man, British Red Cross said:
“The British Red Cross are delighted to have been chosen to deliver the new High Intensity Use Service, working alongside Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, to offer outreach support for individuals who are accessing urgent and emergency care, more than expected. Sheffield HIU service will join our large national network of HIU services, working to reduce the wider impact of frequent attendance at emergency departments and delivering person-centred, holistic community-based support for individuals with unmet needs.”
Beth Crackles, CEO of Sheffield Hospitals Charity, said:
“Funding this project is part of our commitment to tackling health inequalities across Sheffield. By supporting people who frequently attend A&E to get the right help at the right time, this service will help people to break the cycle of poor health as well as ease pressure on our stretched NHS.”
Published: Monday 27th of October 2025