Accident and Emergency

Accident and Emergency (A&E) consists of a dedicated team of medical and nursing staff who assess and treat people with serious injuries or illnesses that require an immediate response. It is a busy department, open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Who is Accident and Emergency for?

Accident and Emergency treat people with serious illnesses or injuries. If an ambulance is needed, call 999.

Staff in Accident and Emergency

A range of highly experienced and skilled staff work in the department including: consultants in emergency medicine, doctors, advanced nurse practitioners (ANPs), emergency nurse practitioners (ENPs), physiotherapists and qualified nurses experienced in caring for adults, children and people with mental health problems. There are also assistant practitioners, healthcare support workers, medical and nursing students (who are supervised) and children’s play specialists. Other support staff you may meet are receptionists, porters, domestic staff and security staff.

What will happen if you attend Accident and Emergency?

  • If you arrive by ambulance the paramedics will inform the staff of your arrival. Otherwise, once you arrive you should register at reception. Your condition will then be assessed by an experienced nurse. This is called Triage. It will indicate how quickly you need to be seen. The nurse will offer you pain relief if appropriate.
  • It may be necessary for you to have an x-ray before you are seen by a doctor, ENP or ANP. The nurse will arrange the x-ray following triage.
  • You will then be assessed by an emergency doctor, ENP or ANP who may suggest you have some tests, some medication or that you need to see a speciality doctor, for example medical, surgical or orthopaedic. The speciality doctor may see you in the department or possibly in an arranged outpatient clinic.
  • If your general practitioner (GP) has referred you to see a speciality doctor, the triage nurse will inform them of your arrival in the department as that you may be added to their waiting list.
  • If the doctor assessing you feels you are not well enough to return home you may be admitted to a ward for further tests and observation.

Waiting times

We try to keep your wait in the department to a minimum. However often staff are busy assessing and treating patients in clinical areas within the department. The nurse who triages you will be able to give you an approximate waiting time. You may appear to be seen out of turn depending on whether you are to be seen by a doctor, ENP or ANP or if you have been directly referred by your GP to a speciality doctor. Waiting times can increase if large numbers of people attend the department in a short period of time. Even when the waiting room appears quiet our staff are caring for critically ill or injured people who need seeing immediately. If you feel your condition has changed or you require further information, please approach the department staff.

Clinical Decision Unit (CDU)

CDU has 12 beds which are part of the Accident and Emergency department, where patients can be see and admitted for a period of observation whilst waiting for treatment or tests. You may also be transferred to CDU if you are waiting for blood results or hospital transport to go home following treatment in Accident and Emergency.

Violence and Aggression

Wythenshawe Hospital operates a zero tolerance policy regarding patients and their relatives behaving in a violent or aggressive manner towards staff members. We maintain close contact with the hospital security team, Greater Manchester Police and special constables patrolling the site. The team will not hesitate to call for assistance if incidents of this nature occur.

Contact

0161 291 6041

Location

Accident and Emergency is on the left as you enter the hospital site before the main entrance and close to the visitors’ car park. The department has its own entrance 50 yards to the left of the main entrance. It is located in the Acute Block in the purple zone.