On your arrival to the Emergency Department please book in at reception. All patients will then be triaged by a trained nurse to assess the nature of your injury/complaint and determine how urgent it is. It is essential that this system is in place to ensure that patients are seen in order of clinical need, rather than in time of attendance.
Due to this you may have to wait longer than we would like.
You may have to wait a period of time before you are seen by the doctor. This will depend on how busy the Department is and the seriousness of other patients’ conditions. Those who arrive by ambulance will not necessarily be seen quicker.
Most of our patients will be treated by our clinicians and will be able to return home afterwards. However, many do need to be admitted to hospital for further treatment or investigations. If these numbers are high then this can prevent us from seeing patients in the Emergency Department as quickly as we would like.
As well as timely care, our aim is to ensure that services in our Emergency Departments are safe, of a high quality, and improve the outcomes for all of our patients.
If you are attending when our Emergency Department is busy, and if it is possible for you, we ask that you bring only one family member or friend to avoid overcrowding in our waiting areas.
We do not give out waiting times or medical advice over the phone. We are a busy department and these phone calls may interrupt our clinical care of sick patients. If you feel it is an emergency then please attend the department.
Patients arrive to the Emergency Department in two ways; through the front door and by ambulance. Those who arrival by ambulance are often more unwell than those who arrive through front door.
Upon triage, patients’ conditions are categorised as ‘Critical’, ‘Urgent’ or ‘Less Urgent’
Patients and their families can help us by supporting timely discharge from our hospitals as our health service continues to deal with severe bed pressures due to the escalating demands of COVID-19. Read more about how you can help.
The Western Trust operates a Zero Tolerance Policy across all Trust facilities, with respect to verbal and physical abuse towards any member of staff. We ask that all members of the public be respectful of all our staff who dedicate themselves to caring for others and saving lives.
