Emergency Department

We want you to get the best possible service from your local NHS and feel confident that we are here for you when you need us. Our Emergency Department is busy and sees a range of illnesses and injuries; however, we would like to remind you of some of the alternative services available that might be more convenient for you and more appropriate for your condition.

NHS 111

If you are feeling unwell and are unsure where to go for treatment ring 111 for free from a landline or mobile phone. You can also go to 111 online or the NHS website.

NHS 111 is available to make it easier and quicker for you to get the right advice or treatment you need, be that for your physical or mental health, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Clinicians, such as nurses, doctors, pharmacists and paramedics, now play an important role in NHS 111 and will be available to give you the advice you need without using another service, such as your GP or the Emergency Department. 

You will be surprised by the amount of minor health concerns you can manage by yourself successfully with advice either from NHS 111 or by visiting a pharmacy for treatment advice.

Pharmacy

Pharmacies can help with:

• advice & tips around self-care
• cold and flu symptoms
• stomach upsets
• sore throats
• backache
• minor sports injuries
• skin conditions 
• allergies 

Remember, for minor eye complaints, a local optician may be able to help. 

If a pharmacist or optician cannot treat your ailment, you should contact your GP practice or if you have not already done so, get in touch with NHS 111. 

GP

GP practices across Tameside are open and are flexible, they can arrange appointments in the neighbourhood hubs outside of typical working hours in the Primary Care Access Service (PCAS).

There are a range of professions in practices who can carry out assessments and provide advice or treatment for persistent coughs (over 10 days), severe headaches, earache, backache, sprains, minor injuries, and other concerning symptoms.

Practices in Tameside will be able to accommodate you and help you get an appointment to see the most appropriate profession, including a GP if necessary.  

Urgent care

If you have an urgent but non-life-threatening medical condition, contact NHS 111 as they are able to book an appointment to be seen in the best possible service.

The majority of the time, your call will come through to the Digital Health Team at Tameside Hospital. You will be assessed over the telephone by the team and they will direct you to the service most appropriate to your needs, this may even be close to home, at one of the neighbourhood hubs, a pharmacy or another more appropriate local service, or may be at the Emergency Department, an Urgent Treatment Centre or emergency dental services.

NHS 111 can also send an ambulance should a condition be serious or life-threatening. Having an appointment booked via NHS 111 means that you have access to all of our healthcare services and so you will be seeing the right professional for your condition in a timely way that suits you.

Unsure which service is best for you? Read the Get To Know Where To Go leaflet, which provides a full guide of all available health services and which one may be the most appropriate for your symptoms or condition.

Everyone who arrives at our Emergency Department will be assessed the same way:

You will book in at the reception desk at the main entrance of the Emergency Department and one of our receptionists will need to ask you some personal information and a brief reason for your attendance.

You may then be seen by our streaming practitioner, who will conduct an initial assessment and ask you about your presenting complaint in more detail. This is to ensure that the Emergency Department is the most appropriate setting for your care.

Depending on your symptoms, you may be advised to attend an alternative service, such as another department within the hospital, your GP surgery, or a pharmacy; to self-care at home; to return to the Urgent Treatment Centre for an appointment; or to return to the waiting area to be seen by the clinical team.

A nurses will call your name and assess your symptoms. We may ask you several questions about your reason for attending and take observations, such as your temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate. We will also assess your pain, and you will be offered simple pain relief if you have not already taken it before attending.

We classify your symptoms based on clinical urgency. The triage system makes sure that patients needing immediate attention are seen first, while others with less urgent issues – though possibly distressing – can wait safely for treatment.

Depending on your reason for attending, you will be seen by a clinician in one of our treatment areas, or we may refer you to a different department within the hospital.

Following the triage assessment, the clinician may request tests, including blood tests, an ECG (electrocardiogram), or X-rays, depending on your symptoms and their assessment.

You may be asked to return to the waiting room until someone is available to carry out these tests. The purpose of initial tests at the point of triage is to ensure that when a clinician reviews you, some initial results may be available to support their clinical decision-making. The aim is to make sure that you do not spend any longer than necessary in the Emergency Department.

This first encounter might seem brief, but don’t worry, you will be seen again in more detail later on, once your initial tests are back.

If you are required to remain in the Emergency Department for evaluation, waiting times may increase suddenly when seriously ill or injured patients arrive or when patients’ conditions worsen, requiring immediate attention.

We will try to keep you updated on changes in waiting times. At times, the waiting room may appear quiet, but this does not reflect activity within the department. Many unwell patients arrive by ambulance at another entrance.

For patients waiting to see an inpatient specialty team (e.g., Orthopaedics, Medicine, Surgery), waiting times differ and are not controlled by the Emergency Department. The same applies if you need to be admitted to a ward, and sometimes there may be a long wait before you are transferred out of ED. We will keep you informed on this progress.

Please speak to a member of staff before eating and drinking before you have been reviewed. If you can eat and drink there are vending machines and a water fountain in the waiting room.

There is a shop at the Hartshead South entrance of the hospital which sells newspapers, toiletries and snacks. There is also a Costa Coffee, where you can purchase food and hot drinks.

Serving hot meals and drinks between 8 am and 6 pm, the Hartshead Restaurant is located on the main hospital corridor. It also has a salad bar, which serves soup, jacket potatoes, salad bowls and sandwiches at lunchtime. A variety of vending machines are also found throughout the hospital.

If you are waiting to be seen, please check with a member of staff before leaving the department to find any of these facilities.

The Emergency Department and Urgent and Emergency Care have distinct areas where we care for patients, depending on their clinical needs.

Waiting room

You may be required to wait in the waiting room to be seen by a clinician when you arrive at the department. If your condition changes whilst you are waiting, please speak to the reception team, who will alert a member of the clinical team.

Majors

‘Majors’ is the term we use for the assessment area of our emergency department. Here, our doctors and nurses see patients with a range of problems who require a bed or continuous observation, monitoring or treatment.

UTC - Minor illness and injury area

The Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) is the area of our department staffed by GPs and Emergency Nurse Practitioners. They are experienced in assessing and treating a wide range of minor injuries and illnesses, such as sprains, minor fractures, wounds, infections, and other conditions that require urgent medical attention but are not life-threatening.

Rapid assessment and treatment

Our rapid assessment and treatment area has 5 cubicle spaces where initial assessments are completed when patients arrive by ambulance or when a patient requires interventions and treatment following a triage assessment

Resuscitation area

Our resuscitation room has 8 fully equipped beds for monitoring people who are either very unwell or are undergoing specific procedures which require constant observation.

Mental health assessment rooms

We have a dedicated area of the department for patients who present with mental health concerns, where assessments are carried out and ongoing care can be provided.

Children and Young People

We have a specially equipped area for children and young people, which is staffed by our children’s nurses. We see children and young people with all types of illnesses and injuries in this area.

Sub-waiting area

Within the wider Emergency Department area, there are smaller waiting areas which are used when you have started treatment but are not required to remain in a cubicle or assessment area. This allows us to continue to see new patients arriving at the emergency department.

Relatives' room

We have a dedicated area within the department that may be used by relatives when appropriate, depending on the patient’s situation and clinical needs.

Once your emergency department assessment is complete, you will either be discharged home or we will recommend admission to a hospital ward or assessment unit for further tests or treatment.

Your doctor or nurse will always let you know where and why you are being admitted. If you have any questions, please ask.

If you are discharged home, you should be provided with information about your condition and any further steps required, including any follow-up appointments, either in hospital or with your GP.

If you are required to follow up with your GP, you may need to arrange this yourself. If you are scheduled for a hospital clinic appointment, the hospital will arrange it for you.

We will usually provide your GP with a letter about your visit. This may take a few days to arrive with them.

You must know what to do if your condition gets worse after you return home. Please listen carefully to the instructions from the doctor or nurse and let them know if you are unsure or if you have any questions. They may also provide written information, such as a leaflet.

You may be provided with a prescription or given a course of medicine to take away. The doctor or nurse seeing you will provide you with information about any new medication.

If you choose to leave the department before your assessment is complete, please discuss this with a member of staff. They may still be able to offer advice and will also explain any risks of leaving in a way you can understand, so you can make an informed decision about what to do.

You can return to the emergency department at any time, for example, if you feel your condition gets worse. You may also contact NHS 111, a community pharmacist or your GP for further advice.

Please do not bring in large amounts of cash or other valuables.

Please take especially good care of personal items such as dentures and hearing aids.

You will be asked to sign a disclaimer if you decide to bring items of value to the hospital.

The Trust cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to your personal property. We do not provide storage for personal valuables or belongings.

Friends and Family Test:

We ask all people who attend the Emergency Department and are discharged home to provide feedback via the Friends & Family Test. This gives you, the patient, or your relatives or carers, the opportunity to voice your concerns/ praise of your experience of the Emergency Department. You are welcome to name staff individually.

While you are in the department, if you have any concerns regarding care or communication, please raise them with a staff member at the time so that we can rectify the issue.

If you do not feel comfortable doing this, or you feel your concerns have not been rectified to your satisfaction, you can contact the ‘Patient Advice and Liaison Service’ (PALS) to report a concern or complaint regarding your care or your relative’s care in the Emergency Department on 0161 922 4466.

Please also note that you can also report positive experiences.

Main Hospital Switchboard – 0161 922 6000

Emergency Department Reception – 0161 922 6664

Urgent Treatment Centre – 0161 922 5068

Same Day Emergency Care – 0161 922 4147

Acute Medical Unit – 0161 922 6830

Children and Young Peoples Emergency Department – 0161 922 4831