Emergency Department

Emergency medicine is a speciality with the knowledge and skills required for the diagnosis and management of acute and urgent illness and injury affecting patients of all age groups with a full spectrum of episodic undifferentiated physical and behavioural disorders. International Federation for Emergency Medicine.

There is a local GP service which will provides you and your family with access to family doctor services outside of normal hours.

E DOC

• Opening hours: Mon-Fri 18.00- 22.00 and Sat-Sun 10.00- 18.00
• Location: St. Michael’s Hospital, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin
• Tel: (01) 663 9869

St Vincents University Hospital Emergency Department, Elm Park, Dublin 4.

• Opening hours: 24 hours
• Tel: (01) 221 4358

Loughlinstown Injuries Unit, St. Columcille’s Hospital, Loughlinstown, Co. Dublin (for patients aged 14yrs or older)

• Opening hours: Mon-Sun from 08.00 -18.00 (inc Bank Holidays)
• Tel: (01) 211 5238/ 5084

If you’re looking for reliable information on-line regarding your illness / medical condition these websites are a good place to start:

• HSE – Health Service Executive
• Patient – Trusted medical information and support
• NHS Choices
• Your Mental Health
• Samaritans

For practical advice on how to mind yourself or your family when you’re sick visit www.undertheweather.ie or www.winterready.ie

• 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

The Emergency Department in St. Michaels Hospital is open from 8am to 8pm, 365 days a year. In exceptional circumstances, based on a local risk assessment, it may be necessary to close or suspend the registration of newly presenting patients for a period of time.

We encourage patients to stay in touch with relatives directly to keep them updated as phoning the Emergency Department can distract nurses and doctors from providing care to the patients. If this is not possible we would ask that you nominate one member of the family to act as a liaison with the Emergency Department. We are unfortunately only able to give very limited information over the ‘phone in the interests of respecting patient confidentiality.

The Emergency Department at St. Michaels Hospital caters for patients aged 14 years and older only.

A Health Act Charge of €100 is payable at time of registration for all patients attending the Emergency Department with the following exemptions:

• If the patient has been referred by their GP that day (GP letter must be presented on arrival).
• If the patient is a Medical Card Holder (valid medical card must be presented on arrival).
• Temporary EU tourists who present a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) on arrival.

In some other circumstances there may be further exemptions to the Health Act Charge. If you fall under one of these categories you will be informed at time of registration. For more information regarding exemptions please see the HSE website www.hse.ie
A Health Act Charge of €300 applies to Non-EU residents attending the Emergency Department.

We aim to see patients as soon as we can. Some patients with a less serious problem may have to wait a little longer. The length of time a patient will be waiting will depend on their complaint and how sick they are. It is not possible for us to give a precise time, but a member of the nursing staff will make an assessment on arrival and allocate one of our clinical team who will see patients at the earliest possible opportunity.

Having a letter from your GP will certainly help us to provide you with the most appropriate care. However you will still need to be reviewed by a triage nurse when you arrive, who will assign you with a triage category. This clinical assessment at triage determines the order in which you will be seen.

Unfortunately we are not able to give medical advice over the phone. We encourage patients to contact their GPs in the first instance.

No. All patients will be seen by the triage nurse, who will assign a triage category. This clinical assessment determines the order in which patients are seen.

Our staff unfortunately cannot organise an ambulance to bring you to the Emergency Department.

If you are discharged by the Emergency Department staff, a detailed letter summarising the findings of any tests performed will be posted to your GP. If you wish to receive copies of your own notes this must be requested in writing under Freedom of Information.