I think some people are being really harsh.
OP is trying to determine if her pain is unbearable enough to be classified as an emergency, is what it sounds like to me. I have been to A&E for unbearable pain when there was no preceding accident, per se (chronic disease flare). OP, I recommend you look at a pain scale to determine how bad your pain is, from a medical view. Please look at the photo I’ve attached and think about whether you’re beyond an 8. My husband considers the hospital when I get above 8. When I went for pain, I was experiencing severe symptoms from the pain: I was in involuntary tears, dry heaving, had trouble speaking coherently, it was starting to trigger a related migraine, etc. I was a 10; I had to be wheeled into A&E. If you have no “loud” outward related symptoms from the pain, then at A&E, you will be triaged to the bottom of the list as the lowest category, you will have the longest wait, and all emergencies who have had accidents and who are showing these “louder” symptoms from pain will probably receive treatment before you. It may not be fair, especially if you’re a particularly stoic person, but that’s how it works.
If you are between 6 and 8 on the pain scale, have you tried a co-codamol? Because A&E will not give you enough tests to diagnose you with either gout or arthritis (or indeed, to diagnose you with most diseases - it’s not their purpose); an X-ray can’t do this; they will just give you stronger painkillers until your GP can send you for investigations to get you a diagnosis, so you might as well skip a possible eight-hour wait and just try the strong OTC painkillers? Also, before going to A&E in a borderline situation like this, think about what outcome you want. Something for the pain? Ok. Have you already tried the strongest OTC painkillers available? Do you instead want a note for work to “prove” your illness is real and so your bosses will leave you alone? While it’s unfortunate your work pressures you so much, nothing can ‘force’ them to leave you alone if you work somewhere that already pressures the sick to show up anyway, unless you’ve decided to take it to ACAS or the like; you should feel safe to self-certify while awaiting the GP, and then GP should handle this. Unfortunately, if this is the start of something like arthritis, you’re going to have to come up with a plan (with your GP maybe) of how to deal with days like this while awaiting an official diagnosis, which often takes anywhere from six months to 2 years. When you do speak to GP tomorrow, ask them what you should do.
Good luck, and I do hope the pain dies down and doesn’t return.