What to expect when you visit the ED

What to bring

• your GP's name and address
• a referral letter if your GP has given you one
• any medicine you are taking 
• a list of any allergies or medical conditions you might have
• your glasses or hearing aid if you use them
• do not bring valuables to the ED 

This will help the healthcare team and may shorten your waiting time. 

Patient registration 

When you arrive at the ED, register at reception where you will be asked for your name, address and other details. If you have a GP referral letter this is the time to give it to us. 

Patient triage 

We use something called 'triage' to find out who needs to be seen most urgently.  When you arrive, you will be seen by a triage nurse. The triage nurse is trained to find out what is wrong with you.  They will prioritise you based on your condition. But if anything changes or if you begin to feel worse, let them know right away. 

Assessment 

You will be assessed by an emergency doctor or advanced nurse practitioner, whose role it is to treat patients' pain and distress, and to identify and diagnose life threatening illness. Following a thorough assessment, further diagnostic workup, such as blood test and X-rays, may be indicated. 

Treatment 

70% of patients will be discharged following treatment in the ED, with follow-up plans decided between the patient and treating clinician. The remaining 30% of patients are admitted to a ward for ongoing and specialist care or to a clinical decision unit (CDU). A CDU is a ward which accommodates patients while further diagnostic tests are being conducted. 

Will I Have to wait? 

EDs are staffed with more doctors and nurses when we know there will be more patients. But if we have a lot of people needing care, we need to ask people to wait. 

The people most in need of help will be seen first. 

When you will be seen depends on how serious your injury or illness is and how busy the department is.