Emergency department

Accompanying a patient

Patients attending our Emergency Department are expected to attend alone, unless there are exceptional circumstances. This is because we are currently experiencing a very high level of patient attendances and waiting space is very limited. We apologise for any inconvenience this causes.

A patient can be accompanied by one person if any of the following exceptions apply:

• Accompanying a child or young person under the age of 18
• Accompanying a vulnerable patient with a mental health issue, dementia, a learning disability or autism
• Assisting with patients’ communication or providing interpretation
• Accompany a patient experiencing complications in pregnancy
• Spending time with a patient receiving end of life care

Please be aware that the department has a maximum capacity for health and safety reasons – if this capacity is reached we may ask those accompanying patients to wait outside of the department.

If it is not a life-threatening emergency and you don’t need immediate medical attention, please consider other options before dialling 999 or coming to the emergency department.

Choosing the most appropriate place for care allows our ambulance and emergency department staff to concentrate on people whose lives are at risk, and can potentially save you a long wait.

If you think you may need to go to the emergency department but you’re not sure, you can call 111 for advice.

On arrival

When you arrive at the emergency department as a patient, after registration, you will be assessed by a nurse who will determine the nature of your illness or injury and how urgent it is for you to be seen. At this assessment. You will then be seen by one of the specialist areas of our emergency department according to the nature of your injury/illness.