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.