
When to attend the Emergency Department
Please come to the emergency department if you have a life threatening condition like:
- severe breathlesness
- chest pain
- severe blood loss
- symptoms of stroke
- collapse
More information about our Emergency Department
When to seek alternative services
We often see patients presenting at the Emergency Department who could receive treatment elsewhere, such as a Minor Injury Unit, pharmacy or GP practice. Common presentations of such conditions which can be treated elsewhere, are:
- Problems or conditions that have been rumbling on for a while and not got suddenly worse – please visit your GP first
- back pain
- abdominal symptoms going on for a few weeks such as constipation
- rashes which are not new
- repeat medications or “run out”
- for a review of a condition already known about
- coughs and colds
- insect bites and stings
- sunburn
- earache
- sprains and strains
- toothache
- minor nose bleed which has now stopped
- hayfever
- Eye conditions. Please contact the Minor Eye Care Service and do not attend the Emergency Department first, if you have:
- Red eye or eyelids with no reduced vision
- Dry, or gritty, or itchy and uncomfortable eyes including ingrowing eyelashes
- Mild eye pain (on a scale of 15): 1-3 getting better with pain killers
- Irritation and inflammation of the eye
- Superficial foreign body in the eye
- Significant recent sticky discharge from the eye or watery eye
- Recent flashes or floaters for less than 3 months with no loss of vision and / or no obstruction across vision
- Recent loss or distortion of vision for more than 48 hours and less than three months with no pain
Why it's important to use the Emergency Department properly