The Directorate of Emergency & Urgent Care consists of the Accident & Emergency Department, Acute Medical Unit and Ambulatory Care Unit.
Accident & Emergency (A&E)
The A&E department provides a high level of specialist assessment to those presenting with serious illness or injury.
As the department name suggests, it is an area of the hospital equipped to deal with the initial assessment and treatment of patients who are seriously ill, often in a life-threatening situation due to deterioration in their health or as the result of an accident or injury.
The Accident & Emergency department consists of separate areas dedicated for the care of patients based upon their clinical need; these areas are Resus and high care, Majors, Urgent Treatment Service and Paediatric Accident and Emergency.
Acute Medical Unit (AMU)
The Acute Medical Unit is a 48 bedded ward which provides medical care to those patients admitted into the hospital from the Accident and Emergency Department. The AMU provides care to patients who are acutely unwell prior to their completion of treatment and discharge home or prior to their move to a more specialist ward area within the hospital.
The Ambulatory Care Unit (ACU)
The Ambulatory Care Unit is a service which offers same day care to patients at the hospital. This means that patients are assessed, diagnosed, treated and are able to go home the same day, without being admitted into hospital overnight. Patients often attend the ACU after initial triage at the A&E Department or via a referral from their General Practitioner.
When attending the A&E department you will be registered on the appropriate system and assessed and treated by the service appropriate to your needs.
During the Coronavirus outbreak, the Northern Care Alliance has had to restrict visiting across all of our hospitals. This is to protect our patients, those important to them, our staff and our community from the spread of coronavirus.
Visitors to all areas within the Directorate are currently restricted due to COVID-19. However, an
Immediate family member or carer – will be permitted to accompany a patient or visit if one or more of the following criteria is met:
• The patient you wish to visit is receiving end-of-life care.
• You are the birthing partner accompanying a woman in labour.
• You are a parent or appropriate adult visiting/attending with your child.
• You are supporting someone with a mental health issue such as dementia, a learning disability or autism, where not being present would cause the patient to be distressed.
You will be allowed to visit Coronavirus positive loved ones only if they meet any of these exceptional circumstances. Staff will support you with the appropriate levels of PPE required for this.
Patients are encouraged to bring all their own medicines, in the original containers to any visit to the hospital.
Emergency & Urgent Care
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Self-Referral
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Ambulance
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GP referral
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Specialty/Other medical provider referral
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111
- Alcohol Liaison Team
- Mental Health Liaison
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Community Services (District Nursing etc)
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