Emergency Department FAQs

In an emergency, call 000 

If you're unsure whether you need emergency care, consider calling first for advice:  

  • Nurse on Call: 1300 60 60 24  

The ED does not make appointments. We prioritise the sickest patients.

Sometimes, you may be asked to return for a review or follow-up. We will try to see you as soon as possible.  

We do not provide advice over the phone or information about waiting times, as these can change quickly.  

  • Medicare: As a public department, treatment is free for those who access Medicare.  
  • International visitors: This is a paid service with an upfront fee. Australia has reciprocal care agreements with certain countries. Urgent medical care will always be provided regardless. 
  • Prescriptions: If you are given a script to take home you will need to pay at the pharmacy, whether at the hospital pharmacy or an external pharmacy.  
  • Aids/splints: There will be a cost associated with any aids or splints you require.  

Not all attendances allow for planning, such as accidents and emergencies, when people are away from home or arrive by ambulance. 

If you can prepare yourself for your ED attendance, please consider the following: 

  • Bring any current medication 
  • If you are bringing in a baby, bring your baby book from the Maternal and Child Health Nurses as well as any feeders, nappies and wipes 
  • If bringing children, bring toys or books 
  • If you bring snacks and a drink, please check with nursing staff if you or your child are allowed to drink or eat prior to consuming it 

We will not provide information on your condition over the phone. It is recommended that you have a contact person you can relay information back to, instead of having large numbers of people in the waiting room or calling the ED for information. 

Ambulance patients are not seen ahead of more unwell patients.  

Ambulance officers may escort you to the waiting room until you are seen. This allows them to treat other people in the community. 

Unless you come from a residential care facility, you are expected to arrange your own way home. 

We encourage you to arrange for a family member or friend to collect you.  

The ED cubicles are small, and during early assessment and treatment, we may ask you to wait outside to allow us to perform investigations and provide privacy.  

A patient may also be in a different department for tests or to see a specialist, and so is unable to have visitors.  

Parents can accompany children at all times. We allow two visitors per person at any time.  

We respect patient privacy. Unless you are the nominated next of kin, we cannot provide updates over the phone.  

In the case of a very unwell family member, we encourage nominating one person to relay information to the rest of the family.  

The short stay unit is part of the ED, allowing us to observe and treat patients for up to 24 hours. 

It provides us with additional areas to monitor patients who may only need a few more hours of treatment rather than being admitted to the ward.  

If patients are not well enough to go home after 24 hours, we may arrange for transfer to the ward.