[Mr K]

Any sort of charge is going to discriminate against the poor. You could exempt those entitled to free prescriptions. However here's bound to be cases of people not exempt but hard up, not going because of that pain in the chest, and it turns out to be serious.

I'm all in favour of fining/prosecuting drunks wasting A&E's time. I was in a A&E cubicle once with my son who had just been diagnosed with a potentially life threatening illness (fortunately he's fine). There were drunks either side of us carrying on, could have cheerfully killed them.