We operate a ‘Streaming Service’, a one stop style of treatment for patients with a minor injury or illness and aimed at reducing the overall time you wait in the department. Please read through this document whilst you wait.
Who we are
We are open all day, every day, and on most days we see over 300 patients (that’s well over 100,000 per year). We know when the busy times are and make sure we’re well staffed, but sometimes there are even more people than expected.
We are used to working under pressure as we deal with life-threatening emergencies every day of the week, and we hope you’ll agree that, even when we’re busy, it’s better to get things right than to put people in danger by rushing.
What we do…
This is an Emergency Department (ED).We are trained to deal with severe illnesses and injuries. For other problems you should go to your GP or an Urgent Treatment Centre (at Gosport War Memorial or St Mary’s Hospital). We are not here to treat long term problems or give a second opinion, and we cannot refer you directly to specialist clinics. It is up to you to register with a GP. Remember there is also an out of hours GP service available when your GP surgery is closed. The telephone number is 0300 300 2012.
Once you have booked in, you will see a nurse who will check you. If he or she thinks you should go elsewhere, they will tell you. Remember they are only trying to help you get the best help for your problem.
It may be that your GP has sent you to hospital to be seen in the medical assessment unit. At times you may be diverted to wait to be seen alongside patients leaving the Emergency Department.
Streaming
- Soon after your arrival in the department you will be seen by an experienced nurse (known as the ‘Streaming Nurse‘) who will assess your injury and place you in order of priority according to the nature/severity of your problem. You may be taken straight round to a treatment area or be asked to wait in reception.
- Young Children and the Frail Elderly will be given a higher priority after 19.00 hours.
- He/she may also advise you whether your GP/Dentist, etc, would be a more appropriate person for your care. There is an Out of Hours GP in the hospital from 6.30 pm to midnight weekdays and 8.00 am to midnight weekends. The receptionist is based in the Emergency Department so you may be asked to book in with them instead.
- The Streaming Nurse will inform you at this stage of your priority category and the approximate time you may have to wait before being seen. All patients in the waiting area will be reassessed as necessary by the Streaming Nurse.
- Please approach the Streaming Nurse if you have any concerns.
Please note:
- Some patients may be called in ahead of you (see Queue Jumping below)if they are attending for a Clinic appointment or if they have been referred to a specialist by their GP. These patients are not waiting to be seen by an Emergency doctor.
- Patients brought in by ambulance enter the department through separate doors. Therefore, even if the waiting room appears to be relatively empty, the Emergency staff may be busy attending to these patients.
- Depending upon your presenting problem, you may be seen by a ‘Nurse Practitioner’. These are experienced Emergency nurses who have been trained to treat certain ‘Minor Injuries’.
- Once seen by a doctor or Nurse Practitioner you may require stitches, X-rays, Plaster of Paris or referral to a specialist. These all increase the time you may spend in the department.
Queue jumping…
Not all patients are the same. If someone who arrived after you gets called before you, there will be a good reason why. We prioritise all our emergency patients to make sure they are seen in order of the severity of their injury or illness, not necessarily their time of arrival.
Sometimes patients have already seen their GP and have an appointment with one of the inpatient teams. They are not waiting to see one of the ED team and may be called before you.
We also run review clinics, to check on patients’ progress following their first attendance. These are run separately by different staff on an appointment basis, so these patients may not have to wait to be seen.
Other things being equal, and particularly at night, we will put the care of children and the elderly first.
Sometimes it can seem that the waiting room is quiet but nobody’s been called for a while. This is because ambulance patients arrive at a different entrance so you cannot see them. Remember, we always treat the sickest patients first, and sometimes that can take many staff a long time.
But also note that even if you arrived in an ambulance, you will still be seen in order of seriousness, and if your injury or illness is less serious, you may be asked to sit in the waiting room.
As long as you have booked in, we promise you haven’t been forgotten.
Cue the queue…
Sometimes the hospital is so full that we cannot move patients who need to stay to the wards, and a log-jam occurs. This sometimes results in patients on trolleys queuing to get into our treatment area.
If this happens to you, we would like you to know that we will work as hard as we can to get you into a cubicle as soon as possible, but if you need immediate treatment you will still get it just as quickly. We will continue to check on you regularly and give you food, drink and pain relief. If you need anything, please just ask. The nurses and doctors are always happy to help.
Our philosophy…
We are pleased to help look after the communities of Portsmouth and East Hampshire, and anyone in need of urgent or emergency care. We use our training and skills to make sure you are safe and well, and give the best emergency care we can.
Please help us to help you. We are specialists at treating life-threatening, emergency problems. If your condition is less urgent, please use your GP or an Urgent Treatment Centre. If you are unsure, please ask one of our staff for advice.
Our Department
The department consists of a Resuscitation Area, a Major Treatment Area, a Minor Treatment Area, a Children’s Treatment Area, a nine-bedded Observation Ward, a Clinic Suite and an X-ray department. We also provide facilities for distressed and bereaved relatives.
Clinics
You may be asked to attend one of the following clinics following consultation:
- Dressings and Burns Clinic open from 8 am each day.
- Returns Clinic open from 9.30 am Mon–Fri.
Children’s Area
The vast majority of younger children will have their care managed in this area, which is designed to offer a child-centred environment, thus reducing their anxieties.
In order to maintain a safe environment, we respectfully request the following:
- Children are to be supervised at all times by an accompanying adult
- No hot drinks are allowed in this area
- Do not leave empty medicine pots or spoons lying around
- Please tidy up after your child
Other professionals work closely with this department:
- Social Workers have a close liaison and on occasion are asked to follow-up/offer support to families and their children
- School Nurses also have regular contact with the nurses in departments
- All GPs receive a letter regarding their patients’ attendance to Emergency Department
This department holds the child’s interests as paramount and may, on occasion, refer to one or more of these professionals as a routine matter.
If you would like to comment or make any suggestions, please ask to speak to the nurse looking after you or the nurse in charge of the department.
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If this does not prove to be satisfactory, or you would like to make further comments please contact:
Patient and Customer Services Team
Education Centre
St Mary’s Hospital
Milton Road
Portsmouth
PO3 6AD
You can also write to:
Chief Executive
Trust Headquarters
F Level
Queen Alexandra Hospital
Southwick Hill Road
Cosham
Portsmouth
PO6 3LY
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