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Royal Stoke A&E

Royal Stoke University Hospital is a regional centre for emergency and major trauma care.

We are here for people in need of highly-specialised emergency care when time matters and lives are saved thanks to the skill, experience and commitment of our teams.

Our Emergency Department is one of the busiest in the country which regularly sees 400 or more patients per day.

Only come to our ED at Royal Stoke Hospital if it's for serious, life-threatening conditions that need immediate medical attention such as persistent severe chest pain, loss of consciousness, acute confused state, severe blood loss, serious burns, broken bones, suspected stroke.

For non-emergencies, there are a variety of appropriate and timely services for patients who require urgent and emergency care which is not life threatening and will be able to help resolve your issue much quicker than ED which can be busy and subject to long waits.

Registration

Unless you arrive by ambulance then when you arrive at A&E you will be asked to use one of our 111 Kiosk where you will be asked for a number of details including your personal information, GP details and why you have attended the emergency department.  

After answering a series of questions, you may be redirected to alternative care.  This could be a call-back from NHS 111 for self-care, an appointment in one of our Same Day Emergency Care clinics, the community rapid intervention service (CRIS) or a local pharmacy, dentist or Urgent Care Centre. Those with the most serious needs will be asked to register at the reception in the emergency department. The kiosks are supported by our trained urgent care navigators, who will remain on hand to help and support patients.

It is hoped this will avoid unnecessary waits for patients in our EDs and support our Emergency Department to treat those who most need our help.

The kiosks ask very similar questions to the 111 online and phone service and if people use these services first they can avoid a potentially unnecessary journey to the EDs or Minor Injury Units.

Once in the Emergency Department, patients are seen in order of priority not time of arrival. The department can often be extremely busy so please be patient as we work to assess and treat everyone.

Everyone is assessed on clinical need so people will not always been seen in the order that they arrive.

We see people in order of urgency and people who are seriously ill or injured, maybe taken directly to resuscitation or our majors department before you are seen.

Initial assessment 

An experienced nurse or doctor will see you and assess your condition before directing you to the appropriate area of the department. At this point you may be discharged with advice and/or medication and treatment if required. We aim to make this assessment within 15 minutes.

Treatment

Minor injuries and illnesses will be treated in our Minors area and more serious complaints will be seen in our Majors or Resuscitation areas. All children under the age of 18 will be sent directly to our Children's A&E. In all these areas you may be seen and treated by a doctor, an Emergency Nurse Practitioner or an Advanced Nurse Practitioner.

Please remember that waiting times can differ between treatment areas and specialists, so other people may be called more quickly than you.

Waiting Times

Our aim is to see all patients within four hours in the department but at peak times of demand, you may be required to wait to be assessed or triaged while we see people with serious illness or injury.

During periods of exceptional demand you may need to wait in our Ambulance Assessment Area or corridor. You will be cared for by a dedicated nurse at all times so ask them for help if you have any concerns. This means the ambulance service can hand over your care to staff in the Emergency Department so they can respond quickly to further urgent 999 calls in the community.

Waiting, in any circumstances, is far from ideal and is not how we prefer to treat our patients but would like to reassure you that during these times patients receive appropriate levels of care and are continually reviewed.

Minors – provides assessment and diagnosis followed by referral or treatments to all patients attending with minor injuries.
Majors - all patients attending with moderate to serious health complaints will be assessed and diagnosed in majors followed by referral or treatment. Patients who are referred to this area of care can be unstable, unable to mobilise, require immediate treatment or medication and have been assessed by the triage nurse as suitable for this service.

Resus – the resuscitation area is used for the treatment of trauma victims, those requiring treatment for life threatening illness or injury and those who require direct monitoring and immediate life/limb saving interventions.
Patients arrive by helicopter as well as by ambulance. The helipad is situated immediately outside the doors of the Resus area.

Support in this area is also from critical care staff, stroke services and all specialities within the hospital.

Clinical Decisions Unit - a dedicated area patients can access while waiting for further tests and investigations to be completed or for mobility/physiotherapy assessments.
Discharge or admission

You will either be discharged from the department or admitted to the hospital.

Discharged patients will leave with advice and/or medication and treatment with a letter being sent to your GP outlining what has happened or if any follow up is required.

If it is decided that you require further treatment you may be admitted to the hospital. You will be referred to a relevant specialist team who will take over your care.

If you need to be admitted to the hospital for further treatment or investigation the emergency department staff will liaise with the appropriate inpatient team to ensure your admission is as smooth as possible. Alternatively, staff may arrange for you to be seen in an appropriate outpatient clinic at another time.

Waiting Times

Our aim is to see all patients within four hours in the department but at peak times of demand, you may be required to wait to be assessed or triaged while we see people with serious illness or injury.

During periods of exceptional demand you may need to wait in our Ambulance Assessment Area or corridor. You will be cared for by a dedicated nurse at all times so ask them for help if you have any concerns.

 

Waiting, in any circumstances, is far from ideal and is not how we prefer to treat our patients but would like to reassure you that during these times patients receive appropriate levels of care and are continually reviewed.

Children's A&E at Royal Stoke

The children's emergency department is open seven days a week, 365 days of the year and can be accessed from the main waiting area in the Emergency Department.

All children under the age of 18 should be accompanied by an adult.

In most situations children will be assessed, treated and discharged in Children's A&E. However a few will require a further period of assessment or treatment in the Children's Assessment Unit (CAU) which is linked directly or as an inpatient on one of the children's wards. As routine, information can be shared with your child's General Practitioner and school nurse or health visitor. Other services that can help your family may also be contacted.

For urgent medical help call NHS 111 to book an Emergency Department time slot

Your NHS is providing a new and more convenient way for you to access urgent care at Royal Stoke Unviersity Hospital and County Hospital, Stafford. 

If you need medical help and it is not a life-threatening emergency, call 111 as they can book you a time slot at the Emergency Department if you need one. 

Your advisor can also direct you to a more appropriate NHS service depending on your needs, such as: 

Your GP practice
A local pharmacy
Haywood Hospital Walk-in Centre
An Urgent Care Centre
Calling 111 first will help us to maintain social distancing and ensure that you receive the right care in the right place, in a more timely way. 

If you or someone you know is experiencing a medical emergency, you can still attend the Emergency Department or call 999. 

If you have a minor injury

If you have a minor injury or illness, you will be redirected to Haywood Hospital from the Royal Stoke University Hospital. 

Minor injuries units can help with a number of conditions including:

  • Cuts and grazes, infected wounds
  • Broken bones or fractures, sprains and strains
  • Bites and stings
  • Minor head injuries
  • Minor eye problems
  • If you have a minor illness

Phone your GP practice or go to a local high street or supermarket pharmacy and seek advice there. Or if you are not sure, contact NHS 111

Help keep our A&E for the real emergencies

Our Emergency Department remains open but it is for serious and life threatening conditions. If you or someone you know is experiencing a medical emergency you/they can still attend our ED or alternatively please dial 999.

Medical emergencies can include:

  • loss of consciousness
  • an acute confused state
  • fits that aren't stopping
  • chest pain
  • breathing difficulties
  • severe bleeding that can't be stopped
  • severe allergic reactions
  • severe burns or scalds


Call 999 immediately if you or someone else is having a heart attack or stroke. Every second counts with these conditions.
Also call 999 if you think someone has had a major trauma, such as after a serious road traffic accident, a stabbing, a shooting, a fall from height, or a serious head injury.

Ambulatory care is about providing same-day emergency care. Our Ambulatory Emergency Care Centre offers easy access to diagnostic tests and review by hospital consultants in one place. It is a way of providing safe care, designed around your needs. 

The service also aims to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions and provide a better experience for you. The centre is focused on providing the right care for patients in the right place.

Four main groups of patients are seen in the centre:

Patients with medical conditions needing emergency care who are referred by their GP
Patients redirected from our emergency department
Patients who have been in hospital in acute medical wards, 'stepped -down' to support early discharge
Patients discharged from acute medical wards with outpatient investigations requiring review and possible further intervention
This is a day-treatment service so you may be required to come back the following day.

Location

Royal Stoke University Hospital 

Address

Ambulatory Emergency Care Centre

Trent Building

Royal Stoke University Hospital

Newcastle Road

Stoke-on-Trent

ST4 6QG

Telephone

01782 671700​


Opening hours

The centre is open Monday to Friday: 8am – 8pm

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ambulatory emergency care?

Ambulatory emergency care is a patient-focused service where some conditions may be treated without the need for an overnight stay in hospital. You will receive the same medical treatment you would previously have received as an inpatient. The aim of this service is to provide you with the care required to treat your condition during scheduled ambulatory care opening hours. You will be able to return home; if further treatment is required you will be asked to return to the unit to receive this.

What advantages does ambulatory emergency care offer me?

The Ambulatory Care Unit provides a new way of ensuring that all our patients receive timely assessment. Despite not being admitted as an inpatient you will still have access to the same calibre of medical and nursing care that you would experience on one of our wards. If appropriate, you will be able return to your own home, even if further treatment is required on another day.

What can I expect?

On arrival you will have an initial assessment within 15 minutes by a nurse or be reviewed by an acute care consultant. You may have a range of investigations and treatments arranged, the ultimate aim of which is to allow you to return home safely. We strive to deliver a compassionate, safe and reliable service. 

During your visit we will ask you to fill in a short questionnaire to tell us about your experience of this service. Please help us to continue improving 
and developing the care we provide by giving us your valuable feedback. Please do not hesitate to alert a member of staff if you have any concerns, questions or requests.

Will I need to return to the hospital once I am sent home?

You may be asked to attend a clinic within the ambulatory emergency care centre or return to another hospital department for further investigations. An appointment for this will be given to you before you leave. If you are unable to keep this appointment please telephone us on 01782 671700 so that we can rearrange this for you.

What do I do if I feel unwell once I have returned home?​

Please call 01782 671700 if you are concerned in any way about your condition once you return home.

All children under the age of 18 should be accompanied by an adult.

The paediatric department is open seven days a week, 365 days of the year.

The paediatric care team deliver a high standard of holistic care providing assessment and diagnosis followed by referral or treatments to all patients and their families attending with ailments and injuries.

The children's area is separate from the adult area, and can be accessed from the main waiting area in the Emergency Department. The area is made up of a large family waiting area, with plenty of toys and activities, four brightly decorated assessments rooms, a triage room, and a distraction treatment room. The paediatric department is directly linked to x-ray for those children who require imaging.

Children are assessed, treated and discharged in the majority of situations, however a few will require a further period of assessment or treatment in the Children's Assessment Unit which is linked directly or as an inpatient on one of the children's wards which are just above us. As routine, information can be shared with your child's General Practitioner and school nurse or health visitor. Other services that can help your family may also be contacted.

Within the Emergency Department there is a dedicated area patients can access while waiting for further tests and investigations to be completed or for mobility/physio assessments. This area is called the Clinical Decisions Unit (CDU).

The Clinical Decisions Unit delivers a high standard of holistic care providing continuing assessment and diagnosis followed by referral or treatments to all patients attending with who are stable but require an increased time of assessment.

The dedicated clinical decisions team is made up of a multi professionals including nurses, doctors health care support workers and assessment staff.

The Major Care area delivers a high standard of holistic care providing assessment and diagnosis followed by referral or treatments to all patients attending with moderate-serious health complaints. Every day the Major Care team see more than 80 patients.

The Major Care Centre (B Bay) is situated in the centre of the Emergency Department. This area is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is directly linked to x-ray for ease of access to those patients who require imaging.

Patients who are referred to this area​ of care can be unstable in their presentation, unable to mobilise, require immediate treatment or medication and have been assessed by the triage nurse as suitable for this service.

This area is made up of 18 assessment cubicles and two private rooms. The team is made up of nurses, health care support workers, doctors, advanced nurse practitioners, consultants and GPs.

If you have a minor injury

If you have a minor injury or illness, you will be redirected to Haywood Hospital from the Royal Stoke University Hospital. 

Minor injuries units can help with a number of conditions including:

Cuts and grazes, infected wounds
Broken bones or fractures, sprains and strains
Bites and stings
Minor head injuries
Minor eye problems
If you have a minor illness

Phone your GP practice or go to a local high street or supermarket pharmacy and seek advice there. Or if you are not sure, contact NHS 111

Help keep our A&E for the real emergencies

Our Emergency Department remains open but it is for serious and life threatening conditions. If you or someone you know is experiencing a medical emergency you/they can still attend our ED or alternatively please dial 999.

Medical emergencies can include:

loss of consciousness
an acute confused state
fits that aren't stopping
chest pain
breathing difficulties
severe bleeding that can't be stopped
severe allergic reactions
severe burns or scalds
Call 999 immediately if you or someone else is having a heart attackor stroke. Every second counts with these conditions.
Also call 999 if you think someone has had a major trauma, such as after a serious road traffic accident, a stabbing, a shooting, a fall from height, or a serious head injury.

The resuscitation area is used for the treatment of trauma victims, those requiring treatment for life threatening illness or injury and those who require direct monitoring and immediate life/limb saving interventions.

Patients arrive by helicopter as well as by ambulance. The helipad is situated immediately outside the doors of the Resus area.

This area is made up of eight assessment cubicles, one of which is dedicated children's area. The Team is made up of nurses, health care support workers, doctors, advanced nurse practitioners and consultants. Support in this area is also from critical care staff, stroke services and all specialities within the hospital.

Patients can expect rapid access to CT scan, and immediate imaging if the patient's condition requires it.

Relatives have the use of a comfortable waiting area where refreshments can be provided.