The Paediatric Emergency Department in the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children is the biggest and busiest emergency department specifically for children in the South West of England. We see all children up to 16 years of age presenting with injuries and illness, including children referred from GPs and children referred from other hospitals to see speciality teams within the children's hospital. We are also the designated regional Paediatric Major Trauma  centre and we see severely injured children who are transferred here from across the South West.

The emergency department is staffed by Consultant specialists in Paediatric Emergency Medicine, an experienced nursing team who specialise in paediatrics and paediatric emergencies, doctors training in Paediatric Emergency Medicine and Emergency Nurse Practitioners.  We have a superb extended team including health care assistants, a dedicated play specialist, plaster technicians, secretarial, administrative and reception staff and domestic staff. We welcome medical and elective students.

We see around 40,000 children each year in our department and approximately 25% of all children who present to the emergency department are admitted to the hospital. Nationally we have one of the lowest admission rates and our outcomes for Paediatric Major Trauma are amongst the best in the UK. The department is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year and we see and treat all children with medical, surgical, trauma-related and mental health emergencies.

In addition to the department's clinical work we are also actively engaged in activities to improve patient care through clinical governance, patient safety, quality improvement and audit and research. The emergency department participates in a range of national and international research programmes to improve emergency care for children including those linked to PERUKI.  The department has an active paediatric simulation programme with support from the Bristol Medical Simulation Centre and programmes of education and learning for registrars and nursing staff.

If you are worried about your child right now you should visit 111.nhs.uk, go on the NHS App or dial 111 for advice, or in an emergency dial 999. If your child has an urgent or emergency problem that cannot wait to be seen by your GP then you will always be welcome in our department.

What should you expect when you come to the emergency department?

• Registration:You will be directed to reception when you arrive where you will be registered
• Triage:Following this you will be triaged by a nurse, you will be allocated to a triage category and, depending on the urgency of your presentation, you may be asked to have a seat in the waiting room.
• Waiting:In our department the sickest children will always be seen first. This means that, no matter how worried you are about your child, if you are presenting with a minor problem you may have to wait for some time. At peak times the department gets extremely busy and this may mean long waiting times. If you are waiting and are becoming increasingly worried about your child you should let one of our staff know.
• Being Seen:In priority order you will be seen by one of our doctors or experienced Emergency Nurse Practitioners (ENP)

Discharge: After being seen by a doctor or ENP you will either be discharged from the department straight away or you may be asked to stay for a while to undergo a period of observation or additional investigations. If your child has a more serious problem you may be admitted to the hospital.

HANDi App

We are here to help you and your child's safety is our number one concern. Your comfort is also important to us. There are shops that sell food, drinks and other items in the main entrance of the BRI (not 24 hours a day). There are also vending machines selling drinks and snacks located at the entrance to the children's hospital and immediately next door to the emergency department. There are toilets located next to our waiting room. There is a small range of toys/games in the waiting room and children's movies shown on our wall TVs. We have a dedicated play specialist available to help your child with treatments or procedures that may be distressing and we have a sensory room for children with special needs. Our staff will help to assist you in any other way that we can to make your visit as comfortable as possible for you.

Please note that antisocial behaviour in our department or anger, aggression or rudeness directed towards our staff will not be tolerated.

You can find the department on Level 3 of the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children.

You can contact the department by post at:

Children's Emergency Department
Bristol Royal Hospital for Children
Paul O'Gorman Building
Upper Maudlin Street
Bristol
BS2 8BJ

Or by phone:

Paediatric Emergency Department Secretary (Mary Nicholls)

Telephone: 0117 342 8187

Please note this number is not for medical advice or general enquiries.

If you require medical advice please contact your GP, visit 111.nhs.uk, go on the NHS App or phone 111.

If you have a medical emergency please call 999.