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For families

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

The HANDi app aims to provide advice and support to parents and carers when your child is unwell.

It offers simple and straightforward advice, for the following conditions in children:

  • diarrhoea and vomiting 
  • high temperature
  • 'chesty baby' illnesses, such as bronchiolitis, asthma and croup
  • 'chesty child' illnesses such as wheezing and asthma
  • abdominal pain
  • common newborn problems.

The app takes you through a series of questions about the symptoms your child is experiencing and then advises on the best course of action, whether that's to treat at home, to make a GP appointment, or to head to A&E. 

Download the HANDi App for Android phones at Google Play.

For iPhone or iPad you can download it from the app store or iTunes, using the search term 'HANDi App'.