Emergency Department

Emergency Department nurse smiling

Our Emergency Department is currently very busy. Please note that patients will be seen in order of clinical priority, therefore if your needs are less urgent, you may face a very long wait.

If you have a life-threatening illness or injury then you should dial 999.

If your condition is not life-threatening then please contact NHS 111 before coming to the Emergency Department. They can help you right away and if you need urgent care then NHS 111 can book you in to come to the Emergency Department to seen quickly and safely.

Do you have a minor injury?

Royal Surrey runs a Minor Injuries Unit in Haslemere for adults and children over two years of age. It is led by our team of skilled Nurse Practitioners who can assess, diagnose and treat patients with minor injuries.

They can treat wounds, minor burns, suspected broken bones, minor eye injuries, minor head injuries, bites and stings. Find out more about what injuries we can treat here.

The unit often has shorter waiting times than our Emergency Department and there is no need to make an appointment, although you can call 111 for advice and a time slot to attend.

It is open from 8am-5pm Monday-Friday. The address is Haslemere Minor Injuries Unit, Church Lane, Haslemere GU27 2BJ.

What will happen when you arrive at our Emergency Department without being referred through 111?

Patients, aged 18 years and above, who arrive at ED without being referred by NHS 111 or a GP will be asked to answer a series of questions as part of our new e-triage service.

The answers given will be recorded in the system for when you see one of our streaming nurses for an initial assessment.

If appropriate, our streaming nurses may be able to book you an appointment with an alternative service, such as a GP or redirect you to the Minor Injuries Unit, Dentist, local pharmacy to be seen.

Visiting

Please note, we are still required to adhere to the two metre social distancing rule within all healthcare settings. In order to safely maintain this in our waiting rooms, we reserve the right to ask all non-carers to vacate the premises.

You can read more about our visiting restrictions here.

Is the Emergency Department at Royal Surrey County Hospital right for me?

The Emergency Department is for patients requiring emergency care for serious and life-threatening conditions, such as:

  •         loss of consciousness
  •         acute confused state and fits that are not stopping
  •         chest pain
  •         breathing difficulties
  •         severe bleeding that cannot be stopped
  •         severe allergic reactions
  •         severe burns or scalds
  •         stroke
  •         major trauma such as road traffic accidents

People who attend the Emergency Department are seen and treated in order of clinical priority and not in the order they arrive; this means an attendance with a minor injury or ailment may result in a long wait as we treat those who need our specialist support.

I’m unsure what service is right for me?

If you’re unsure where to go and think you need urgent medical attention, but it’s not life threatening, contacting NHS 111 can help you make sure you reach the best NHS service for your health needs. NHS 111 is open all day and night, every day of the year and you can speak with a nurse or clinician.

Calls to NHS 111 are free from mobiles and landlines. You can also access the service online at 111.nhs.uk

If you need expert help, for example from someone who knows more about what is wrong, they will see you get it.

NHS 111 can also:

  •         book an appointment for you to see a GP out of normal working hours
  •         book an appointment for you to see an emergency dentist
  •         help you speak to someone who can provide mental health support
  •         book you into another NHS service
  •         arrange for you to pick up medicine at a pharmacy near you
  •         give you self-care advice
  •         send an ambulance if you need one
  •         tell you if you need to go to an Emergency Department

Woking Walk-in Centre

The Walk-in Centre provides nurse-led medical treatment when your condition is urgent but not an emergency.

The Walk-in Centre is only 15-20 minutes from Guildford by car or public transport and is open Monday to Sunday 8am to 8pm.

Most patients are seen within four hours.

It is also open 8am to 8pm on Bank Holiday.

No appointment is needed.

Address: Woking Walk-in Centre, Heathside Road, Woking, Surrey, GU22 7HS

Telephone: 01483 846209

Haslemere Minor Injuries Unit

The unit is staffed by a team of skilled nurse practitioners, who are registered nurses with extended qualifications and experience in assessment, examination, diagnosis and treatment of patients with minor injuries.

The team offer x-rays and plaster casts/splints.

They sees adults and children, aged two years and over with acute (less than two weeks) minor injuries, such as:

  • Bites and stings.
  • Wounds – cuts, bruises and grazes.
  • Minor burns and scalds.
  • Muscle and joint injuries – strains, sprains and suspected limb fractures.
  • Sports injuries.
  • Minor eye injuries.
  • Minor head injuries (with no loss of consciousness).
  • Removal of foreign bodies from ears, eyes or nose.
  • Removal of splinters.
  • Minor injuries to back, ribs, shoulder and chest.
  • Low impact road traffic accidents.
  • Removal of rings, earrings and studs

This is a walk-in service and you are unable to make an appointment.

Patients are largely seen in time order, however, there may be occasions when patients will be seen in order of clinical priority.

If you are unsure if the Minor Injuries Unit is right for you, you can call the team on 01483 956524 and the team will be happy to help.

The unit is open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

Address: Haslemere Hospital, Church Lane, Haslemere, Surrey, GU27 2BJ

Telephone: 01483 956524

GP

A General Practitioner (GP) is a highly skilled doctor who will be the main contact for most NHS patients for general healthcare. They support patients throughout their lives and can help you manage your health.

If you need to see your GP but find it hard to access your practice in routine hour, appointments with a GP, nurse or other healthcare professional are available in the evening and weekends through your practice.

Local GP practices across Guildford and Waverley are working together to offer patients better access to appointments. There are now more than 140 additional hours of evening and weekend appointments available and anyone registered with a GP can access these appointments.

Please remember, the Emergency Department is not an alternative to a GP appointment.

Need to see a GP out of hours?

If you need to see a GP outside of normal practice hours and it is not an emergency, please call NHS 111.

The NHS 111 team will assess your condition over the phone and if clinically appropriate, they will arrange for you to see a GP using the local NHS Out of Hours service in Surrey.

Find a GP practice

You have a legal right to choose a GP practice that best suits your needs.

You can find the GPs near you by clicking here.

Registering with a GP

When you have found a practice you like, you’ll have to formally register with it as an NHS patient by submitting a registration form to them.

You can pick up a registration form at the practice, or you can download it from GOV.UK by clicking here.

Forms may vary slightly, and some practices may use their own version.

When you have completed and returned the form, NHS England will transfer your medical records to your new practice and write to you to confirm your registration as patient with that practice.

Information for those moving to or visiting England

You do not need to be ordinarily a resident in England to access GP services without charge.

But charges may arise if you need a hospital referral other specialist treatment.

More information on moving to England is available by clicking here. If you're visiting, click here for more information.

Falling ill while away from home or not registered with a GP

If you fall ill while away from home or you’re not registered with a GP but need to see one, you can still contact your nearest practice to ask for treatment.

You can receive emergency treatment for 14 days. After that you’ll have to register as a temporary or permanent patient.

Registration as a temporary resident allows you to be taken on to the practice’s list for up to three months.

Pharmacists

You can ask a pharmacist for advice before minor ailments or winter illnesses get worse.

Community pharmacists are qualified healthcare professionals who can offer clinical advice and over the counter medicines to effectively and safely manage a range of health concerns, such as coughs, colds, sore throats, earaches, eye infections and many more.

Most people live within easy reach of a pharmacy, it’s quick and convenient – you don’t need to book an appointment and can be seen by a pharmacist in the privacy of a consultation room.

For more information on the services available click here.

About the Emergency Department

Open 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, the Emergency Department at Royal Surrey County Hospital offers a full spectrum of specialist emergency services including Medical, Surgical, Paediatric, and Gynaecology and Obstetrics. 

Our Emergency Department has just undergone an £8 million rebuild with a new Minor Injuries area, Paediatric area, Clinical Decisions unit, Fit to Sit area and dedicated ambulance cubicles.  We are also a Trauma Unit in the South West London and Surrey Trauma Network

Our dedicated Paediatric assessment area is staffed with specialist Paediatric nurses 24/7, and has a dedicated HDU (High Dependency Unit).

Our Clinical Decisions Unit (CDU) is for patients needing a few hours of acute treatment but who do not need to be admitted to hospital.

The Emergency Department is an Emergency Medicine Consultant led service 7 days a week.

We have an Emergency Nurse Practitioner service 15 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Patients can access the Emergency Department either by presenting themselves, being sent by their GP, or via an ambulance or air ambulance. Patients can also be referred from walk-in centres and the Minor Injuries Unit at Haslemere Hospital.