The Accident and Emergency Department is committed to the provision of quality, timely emergency care, to acutely sick and injured persons; both citizens and visitors alike.
Formerly known as QEH Casualty, the department was transformed in 1990 into the A&E Department.
Pioneered by Dr Irvine Brancker and Dr Van Tyne, the department opened with a team of initially 12 junior doctors and 2 consultants. Presently, there are 20 doctors in the department.
As the busiest department in the hospital, the A&E Department attends to approximately 45,000 patients annually.
Offering ‘first world’ patient care, Dr Chaynie Williams, the first female head of the department, and current Clinical Director applauds the skill set of her staff and also notes that the A&E improvement programme has put measures in place to make the visit to A&E a more comfortable one. Measures include the addition of patient advocates, a redesign of the physical space, improvements to staffing compliments, improved outreach and efficiencies plus a concerted, ongoing effort to reduce waiting times.
Services Offered
For more information on the services offered to patients of the Accident and Emergency Department, click here or go to the “Your Visit” section of our website.
Download Your Guide to the A&E Department
Learn how patients conditions are catergorized and read tips on what you can do to help our A&E staff attend to your emergency as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Patient Safety Information Accident & Emergency Department Brochure
Frequently Asked Questions
Accident and Emergency
Anyone needing emergency or urgent care can present themselves to the AED. No appointment or referral is necessary.
The AED is always available to patients who feel that they have a problem that cannot wait for an appointment with their primary care physician.
Here’s a list of items you should bring to the AED:
- Letter from your GP if you have been referred by them
- List of current medications
- Information about any previous medical conditions or your medical history
- A list of allergies you have to any medications
- CDs/reports of any scans relevant to your current problem
It is not always predictable when it will be busy but the department is available 24 hours a day for patients who require immediate care.
Patients with a minor injury may be eligible to be seen in our Minor Cases Unit or referred to Fast Track at the Winston Scott Polyclinic
Having a letter from your General Practitioner (GP) will certainly help us to provide you with the most appropriate care. However you will still need to be reviewed by a medical professional when you arrive, who will assign you within a triage category. This clinical assessment at triage determines the order in which you will be seen.
No. All patients will be seen by a medical professional, who will assign a triage category. This clinical assessment determines the order in which patients are seen.
The AED’s health care team consists mainly of doctors and nurses who are specially trained to treat all types of medical emergencies.
The AED physicians are trained specialists. If you have a concern about the care you receive, you should discuss it with the nurse and physician attending to you.
Quality care takes time. Your total length of stay may depend on your symptoms, illness, and if you have to be admitted to the hospital. In the event that the emergency physician needs to consult with a specialist or you require special tests and diagnostics, your stay may be longer.
To accurately diagnose your condition, we need time to review lab tests and x-rays. Some tests can only be processed after an extended period of time has passed after taking the samples.
AED patients are seen by physicians with training or experience in the specialty of emergency medicine. They obtain consultations as needed and if necessary, will refer you to a specialist based on the assessment of your problem.
A family member may wait with you in the treatment area and must stay at your bedside. If the AED becomes full or if a doctor or nurse determines that you need privacy, your family may be asked to return to the waiting area.
In consideration of our critically ill patients, no child aged 12 or younger may visit a patient without prior permission from the charge nurse. You can ask to see the charge nurse to make this request.
Based on your diagnosis you will either be discharged or admitted to the hospital. All patients discharged from the AED receive written instructions, ranging from medical instructions, referrals to an outpatient clinic and appointments to return to the AED for a follow-up visit. If you do not understand the instructions or have any questions about them, please ask for clarification.
We encourage patients to stay in touch with relatives directly to keep them updated as phoning the AED can distract nurses and doctors from providing care to the patients. If this is not possible, we ask that you nominate one member of the family to act as a liaison with the AED. Please note that in the interest of respecting patient confidentiality we are unfortunately only able to give very limited information over the telephone.
Complete our customer survey, or, visit our Contact us page to share feedback about your visit or experience as a visitor or patient of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital or, contact us by phone to speak with a medical professional:
Help Desk (Patient Advice & Liaison Service)
Phone : 246-536-4800
(Open 9AM to 9PM daily. Closed on Public Holidays)
Email : helpdesk@qeh.gov.bb
For complaints please contact :
Clinical Risk Management Unit
Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Martindale’s Road
St. Michael
Phone : 246-436-6450 Ext. 6334 or 5234