A man was forced to get creative after twice being told he was facing eight-hour waits at A&E - instead diagnosing himself with an STI test.

Hugh Grierson, 32, took himself to Queen Elizabeth Hospital after being bitten on a night out.

He was told on arrival there would be a six to eight-hour wait - so decided to return the following morning.

Arriving at 5:30am the next day, Hugh, from south-east London, was again told he would be in for a length stay, he says.

Frustrated, the software consultant took matters into his own hands and used an STI test to look for any serious diseases, like HIV.

He came back all-clear - but now want to speak out about about the NHS.

Hugh said: “I just wrote [getting an appointment] off as a total lost cause – I didn’t really have time to mess around as I was going on holiday.

“So, I tried to think outside the box and thought what the worst illnesses would be, like Hep A and B or HIV.

“I used common sense to get the free at-home STI test that covers those, but it’s no substitute and doesn’t cover everything.

“I thought it was ridiculous that I’d been forced to game the system which is obviously a symptom of a service that’s not fit for purpose, I think it’s a very big statement on the state of the NHS.”

Hugh said he initially tried to book an appointment for a blood test with his GP, but was told there were no appointments available.

He then arrived at A&E at 5.30pm on June 27 and was shocked to be faced with a six to eight hour wait time.

He was advised to return between 6am and 7am the next day, so arrived on June 28 at 5.30am - only to be told he would still have to wait for eight hours.

Unable to miss work, Hugh was forced to leave A&E without treatment, and instead purchased an STI test the following day.

Despite getting a negative result from the test, he says it’s no substitute for being seen by a doctor.

Hugh said: "I had to get creative to deal with it - it's not possible to wait eight hours if you've got a full-time job.

"I've had to play the system a little bit and that's indicative of a system that's on it's knees, it's not how it's supposed to happen.

"What I got tested for through the medium that I've used isn't necessarily good enough to cover everything it should.

"I'm rolling the dice a bit and hoping that it's good enough.

“It’s the 75th anniversary of the NHS and there are these big NHS work plan reviews – it’s just a lot of missed opportunities."

A spokesperson for the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, which runs Queen Elizabeth Hospital, said of Hugh's wait previously: “Our Emergency Departments are extremely busy at the moment, resulting in long waits for people with non-life threatening conditions.

"We prioritise patients according to clinical need, which means that the most seriously ill patients are seen first.”