"Visit to Ucc"

When attending our Emergency Departmentat University Hospital Lewisham you should have been handed a leaflet detailing "Why am I waiting" please let me apologise that this was not handed to you on your recent visit. See below for the details on the leaflet. Once you have been booked in to the Emergency Department (ED) or Urgent Care Centre (UCC), you will be seen by a triage nurse. These are the nurses in the rooms by reception. They will assess your clinical needs and then prioritise you. This means that the people with the greater clinical need will be seen sooner. The triage nurse may suggest other places you may go for your care. These might be your GP, a dentist or a podiatrist (foot specialist). Not everyone in the waiting room is waiting to see the ED/UCC doctor. For example – Some people have been sent to this department by their GP, to see a particular specialist doctor, such as the ear, nose and throat doctor, or a surgeon. Some people are waiting to been seen by the out of hours GP service (SELDOC), or a specialist nurse (Emergency Nurse Practitioner) or a GP who works in the ED/UCC department. Some people will have been called in to have investigations, such as blood tests or ECGs. This means there are several queues waiting to see different people. This is why some people may be seen sooner than you, even though you have been there longer. The triage nurse will let you know about waiting times for the queue you are in. Glen Davidson Patient Experience Manager Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Trust