Emergency Department
We have an Emergency Department (ED) at both the Royal Bournemouth and Poole hospitals. They are both open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Our team consists of doctors, emergency nurse practitioners, nurses, health care assistants, phlebotomists, receptionists, porters, cleaners, administrators and students.
You can find out what visitors to the Royal Bournemouth ED have to say here and what visitors to Poole ED have to say here.
When you attend one of our EDs, you will need to book in with a receptionist. You will then be seen by a triage nurse who will treat you, refer you to another health care provider such as an out of hours GP or a dentist, or allocate you for treatment in the department. The triage nurse may also arrange for investigations such as blood tests or x-rays to be carried out. Before you attend one of our EDs, please check you are choosing the right service for you.
If you arrive by ambulance you will still see the triage nurse, unless your illness or injury needs immediate care. If you are very unwell you may be taken to our resuscitation room, often called 'resus'.
Treatment is allocated based on the nature and seriousness of the presenting problem, so you may find patients who arrive after you are seen before you. We understand this can be frustrating, but it is important we prioritise care based on need and we really appreciate your patience.
If you are treated in one of our emergency departments, you may be admitted onto majors and possibly then kept for observation or taken to a ward, or the clinician who sees you treat you in minors and decide you are able to leave hospital after treatment. They will let you know what follow-up, if any, is required before you leave. Your GP will receive a letter advising them that you attended our ED.
You can call the Royal Bournemouth Hospital ED on 0300 019 4169 and Poole ED on 0300 019 2202.
