What to expect when in the Urgent and Emergency Care Centre

If you arrive between 8am and 10pm, you will be greeted by one of our care navigators and primary care clinicians (Doctors or Advanced Clinical Practitioners)who will ask you what issue has brought you in and take a brief history. We ask you some more questions to book you in and you may go to services within the Urgent and Emergency Care Centre (UECC) or be directed through the hospital to our Same Day Emergency Care services.

If you arrive between the hours 10pm and 8am, you will be greeted by our reception team and booked in to wait for our triage team who will assess you.

If you arrive by ambulance, you will be seen and assessed by our nursing teams. 

Arriving by ambulance does not mean you will be seen quicker than if you had brought yourself in. Patients arriving by ambulance will be prioritised in exactly the same way as those who walk through the front door.

You may have had tests or monitoring in the ambulance which we will use to help us know about your condition.

We aim to ensure that all patients are seen as soon as possible, but it is very difficult to predict how long you will have to wait. 

The triage system prioritises people that need to be seen immediately, before other people whose problem may be distressing, but who are safe to wait for treatment. 

Waiting times vary and depend on the number of people waiting, as well as how bad their condition is. This information is displayed on the screen in the waiting room.

The waiting time may increase suddenly when seriously ill or injured patients arrive, or if someone's condition gets worse, needing immediate attention. We will try to keep you updated of such changes in waiting times. At times, it may appear quiet in the waiting room, even when the department is busy. Many unwell patients arrive by ambulance at the side entrance.

For people who are waiting to see an inpatient specialty team (e.g. Orthopaedics, Medicine, Surgery etc.) the waiting time is different and not controlled by the Urgent and Emergency Care Centre. The same applies if you are being admitted to a ward and sometimes there may be large delays before you are transferred out of UECC. We will keep you informed on progress of this.

This is for life-threatening illnesses and injuries where immediate assessment and treatment is needed.

This is for urgent illnesses and injuries. You are stable enough to wait and will be seen as soon as possible, but your issue is not life threatening.

This is for injuries that are not life threatening. You will usually be seen in time order.

In minor injuries, we treat injuries such as broken bones, sprains, wounds, burns and scolds.

Urgent primary care is for those who need management of a primary care problem within the next 48 hours. 

Primary care problems are managed by General Practitioners (GPs) and Advanced Clinical Practitioners (ACPs). This can include problems such as illnesses including fever, infections and rashes which cannot wait until your own GP practice opens. 

Urgent primary care does not undertake tests or investigations. If these are required urgently you will be directed to a more suitable service. 

The urgent primary care service runs from 8am to 10pm every day. When urgent primary care closes at 10pm, urgent access to primary care services is through NHS 111.

You may be asked to go to one of our Same Day Emergency Care services within Rotherham Hospital.

• Same Day Emergency Care (Medicine) is located on the Acute Medical Unit (AMU), B level, junction 1.
• Same Day Emergency Care (Surgical) is located on the Acute Surgical Unit (ASU), B level, junction 1.
• Same Day Emergency Care (Gynaecology) is located on Ward B11, B level, junction 4.

The GP Out of Hours Service is open when community GP practices close. It operates every day from 6:30pm to 8am, and 24 hours a day at weekends and bank holidays. The service also provides cover for Rotherham GP practices when they are closed for staff training. 

The GP Out of Hours Service provides care that would usually be provided by your GP practice and cannot wait until your GP practice opens again. The service does not undertake any tests or investigations. If these are required urgently you will be directed to a more suitable service. 

This is also located within UECC and can be accessed through NHS111. It is appointment only.

Your clinical assessment will be much more thorough compared to triage. They will ask more questions and examine you. 

At this stage, your healthcare professional will be working out the cause of your condition and will be planning how best to manage it.

Please note that for some examinations, a healthcare professional will be present to chaperone in addition to the professional performing the procedure.

If you would like a family member present in addition or if you have any concerns please speak to your healthcare professional.

Common emergency investigations include blood samples, X-rays, or other types of imaging such as ultrasound or Computed Tomography (CT) scans. The results of these investigations help your healthcare professional decide on the next steps of your management. 

Depending on how busy the department is, simple X-rays can take around 30 minutes to complete and blood samples often take around 60 minutes. 

Please ask about what tests or investigations have been requested and what they will mean for you.

Your healthcare professional will work with you to decide whether you are safe to to go home, or whether you would benefit from seeing other teams.

We may refer you to other speciality teams within the Trust, either for admission (staying in hospital) or to support you going home.

If the healthcare professional looking after you recommends for you to stay in hospital, have an operation or tests, you will be admitted to a ward or assessment area.

Staying overnight means you are being treated as an inpatient. We will keep you informed when your bed is ready for you to be transferred out of UECC. 

When you arrive on the ward or assessment area, you’ll be welcomed by a member of staff who will explain what to expect and give you an identity bracelet to wear if you do not already have one. 

Visiting information and information for inpatients is available on our website.

Few discharges from UECC would prevent you from driving. If you are unsure, please ask.

The main considerations are broken bones, eye problems or medications that we may have given you that cause drowsiness.

Our priority is to help you get better and support you to leave hospital when the time is right. This is often quickly after your medical team think you are well enough.

It is important that we start planning you going home together from the time you are admitted as this helps to ensure you leave hospital in a safe and timely manner.

Please let a member of staff know if you are leaving before you are seen or had treatment.

• Leaving hospital to go home patient information - Gov.uk
• Leaving hospital to go to another place of care patient information - Gov.uk
• Looking after friends or family when they leave hospital - Gov.uk

Age UK provide useful services and support to people and their carers in later life.