Our Emergency Departments provide round the clock care for people with serious, life-threatening illness and injury. We have a department at South Tyneside District Hospital and a dedicated children’s and adult’s departments at Sunderland Royal.
We hope you never need to visit us, but if you do you will be looked after in one of four areas:
Resus
Resus is where our most poorly patients are. This could be someone with a severe infection, or someone whose heart has stopped. Our Emergency Department team work with our specialists to give life-saving treatment in this area.
High Acuity
High acuity is patients that are very unwell. Here our team can monitor patients and make an assessment and provide whatever treatment is needed. A lot of our patients in high acuity need to be admitted to hospital for ongoing treatment.
Ambulatory Assessment
Ambulatory Assessment look after patients with a range of urgent conditions including broken bones, mental health problems, breathing difficulties or many other conditions. Our Emergency Department team will make an assessment and provide any treatment needed.
See and Manage
See and Manage treats patients who need to be in hospital, but do not require immediate life-saving treatment.
Contact us
- Emergency Department, South Tyneside District Hospital - 0191 404 1000
- Adult Emergency Department, Sunderland Royal Hospital - 0191 5699623
- Children’s Emergency Department, Sunderland Royal Hospital - 0191 5410022
Finding us
South Tyneside
Our Emergency Department is located in the main building to the left of the Ingham Wing.
Sunderland
Our new state-of-the-art adult’s and children’s Emergency Departments are located in Sunderland Royal Hospital to the right of Kayll Road main entrance.
Our team
- Divisional Director - Angela Wadmore
- Directorate Manager South Tyneside - Mandy Bates
- Directorate Manager Sunderland - Sarah Urwin
- Matron South Tyneside - Sue Lane
- Matron Sunderland - Emma Gray
Other useful information
What happens when I come into the Emergency Department?
If you arrive by ambulance the crew will bring you into the department and register your details at reception. They will then tell a senior nurse about you so that we can get you into the right part of the department.
You may be taken into the waiting room if you are well enough, or you may be taken to a room in one of our clinical areas. If you are in a room, one of our nurses will come to see you to make an assessment and arrange some tests. You will then see one of our doctors or practitioners who will ask some more questions and discuss a more in-depth treatment plan with you.
If you are well enough to be in our waiting room, you may be seen directly by a practitioner. Patients will be seen and treated based on medical need, so you may find other patients are seen before you and you may have to wait.
How long will I have to wait to be seen?
Our Emergency Department is generally very busy and we try and see everyone as quickly as possible. You will be asked questions when you arrive so we can assess how urgent your condition is and prioritise who need treatment the most. Those with minor illness or injury will have a much longer wait as we deal with patients who are extremely poorly. If you don’t need immediate life-saving treatment, you can visit an urgent care centre, GP or call NHS 111 for advice.
What should I bring with me?
You should bring any medicines that you take, including ones you have bought over the counter. If you have a recent prescription, please bring that too. This helps us to know what you are taking and whether it causes problems with any treatment we might suggest.
What will happen when I am seen?
The doctor or practitioner looking after you will discuss their findings with you and explain what they think is wrong with you. They might say that you are fit to be discharged and go home without follow-up. They may also think that you are safe to go home but need some follow-up and will explain what to do about this.
You may need to be seen by a specialist, and the doctor or practitioner will explain whether this should be while you are in the department, or whether this is as an outpatient. They may also explain that they think you need to be in hospital to have your condition treated.
Whatever the plan, you will be able to ask about any questions you might have. Make sure you understand what your treatment plan is and what you need to do before you leave the department.
What if I need to be admitted?
Sometimes it is best for your receive your treatment by being admitted to one of our hospital wards. Where this happens our team will discuss this with you and explain why.
If your child is admitted they will be taken to one of our paediatric wards on F floor. You will be able to stay with them throughout their stay with us.
