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Welcome to Croydon University Hospital.

This information explains how the Emergency Department (ED) and Urgent Care Centre (UCC) work and should answer any questions you may have. Our department sees about 300 patients each day and we are one of the busiest departments in the south of London.

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What is an emergency?

An emergency is a critical or life threatening situation such as:

Suspected heart attack
Chest pain
Unconsciousness
Heavy blood loss
Suspected broken bones
Deep wounds such as stab wounds
Severe breathing difficulties
Head injury

What happens when I arrive?

On arrival you need to book in with the receptionist, who will check your details and the nature of your condition.

If you have a minor injury or minor illness you will be directed towards the Urgent Care Centre and will be seen by one of the Urgent Care Clinicians.
If you are thought to have a more complicated problem you will be directed towards the Emergency Department triage nurse who will make an initial assessment of your condition. You will then be seen by one of the Emergency Department doctors.
We treat people in order, depending on how urgent their medical needs are, it does not depend on when you arrived or by what means of transport.

There are two different queues of patients in the waiting room, those waiting to be seen in the Urgent Care Centre and those in the Emergency Department. The speed at which you are seen will depend on which queue you are in.

How does the ED queuing system (triage) work?

We have five triage categories, coloured Red/Orange/Yellow/Green/Blue:

Red– For symptoms that are immediately life threatening

Orange– For symptoms that would be life threatening without quick medical attention

Yellow– For people who need urgent medical attention, if possible within an hour

Green– For people who need medical attention, but whose condition is not life threatening. Children under 5 and people over 80 will be seen first if possible

Blue– For conditions which are not a true accident or emergency or for people suffering from an old injury.

We treat people in category Red first, followed by those in Orange, then Yellow and Green. People in category Blue will wait the longest. If you are in this category we may recommend that you leave ED and book an appointment with your GP.

All patients who attend ED should be seen, treated or discharged within 4 hours from booking in.

We realise that your injury or illness is very important to you. However, we must make sure we treat the most urgent injuries first. In ED we have no way of knowing when patients will arrive and sometimes the department gets very busy if a lot of patients arrive at the same time. This may mean a longer wait if there are a lot of people with serious or urgent conditions.

What about people who are brought in by ambulance?

People brought in by ambulance come through an entrance at the rear of the department. If you are waiting in reception you will not see these patients arriving. This means that ED can become very busy without patients in reception being aware of this.

Arriving by ambulance does not mean that you will be seen sooner. Whether you are waiting in reception or have arrived by ambulance, you will be put in the right triage category or queue, and be seen as soon as possible.

Most people will need to arrange their own transport home.

What if I am sent to the Emergency Department by my GP?

If your GP has spoken to a doctor at the hospital who has agreed to see you, you will not be seen by an ED doctor. You have been referred to the hospital and your waiting time will depend on how many emergencies the physician, surgeon or paediatrician is dealing with.

If you have seen your GP and they send you to ED with a letter explaining your symptoms but you have not been referred to the hospital, you will have to wait for the ED doctor.

Is there somewhere that I can get food and drink?

Please check with the nurse before you eat or drink as some patients who require emergency treatment may need a general anaesthetic which requires an empty stomach.

There are two drinks machines, one in the shared waiting area for UCC and ED and on at the back of ED. Your relatives or carers can get food from our main entrance on London Road up until 8 pm.

Your comments

Please take time to complete our online patient survey. If you have been seen in the Urgent Care Centre please use their very friendly and easy to use iPads located on the way out near the exit doors of the department. It takes 5 minutes and provides us with live data so that we can continue to improve the service we provide.

More information

Please do not hesitate to speak to a member of staff if you have any questions about your treatment before you leave the department. They will be happy to help.

Useful contact numbers

Minor Injuries Unit, Parkway Health Centre
New Addington, Croydon
020 8251 7225

Emergency Eye Clinic, Croydon University Hospital
020 8401 3128

Sexual Health, Croydon University Hospital
020 8401 3002

Edridge Road Walk-in Centre
Impact House
2 Edridge Road, Croydon, CR9 1PJ
020 3040 0800

NHS Choices
111

How to register with a GP?

Contact Croydon Clinical Commissioning Group on:
0800 456 1517 Mon–Fri 9.00 am–5.00 pm
www.croydonccg.nhs.uk

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