Recommendations of Accident and emergency departments

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The following are some examples of things that often make people come to A&E or dial 999 (or 112). In some cases, you can deal with the problem at home, but in other cases, emergency care may be necessary.

Bumps on the head

Bumps on the head are one of the most common reasons that people visit an A&E department. You can treat some of these injuries at home by making the person rest and putting a cool, damp cloth on the part of the head that has been bumped. The person should be taken to A&E if:

There is a lot of bleeding or the bleeding does not seem to be stopping,
They were knocked unconscious,
They experience problems seeing or hearing (eg their vision is fuzzy or they hear a constant ringing sound),
They vomit more than once,
They have a seizure (fit) and/or convulsions,
There is any bleeding from the eyes, ears or nose, or
They are still in considerable pain three days after the incident.

Poisoning

Poisoning is another reason that people visit the A&E department. If you or someone you are with has been poisoned, it is important that you give the A&E department as much information as possible so that the doctors can provide the correct treatment.

Try to find out:

What the poison is (bring a sample if you can and the container the poison was in),
How much of the poison has been taken (the container it was in can help),
How long ago the poison was taken.
If the person has been sick, then bring a sample of the vomit too â€“ medical staff can analyse the vomit for important information.

Itâ€™s important that you donâ€™t force the person to vomit. Some poisons can cause harm as they are vomited out of your stomach, so itâ€™s better to have your stomach emptied by staff at the hospital.

Drug overdoses should be treated in the same way.

Seizures (fits) and convulsions

Young children are particularly vulnerable to seizures and convulsions, and this can be very frightening for parents. For some reason, childrenâ€™s bodies are less able to control high temperatures and fevers and sometimes this seems to cause a seizure. If it is the first time the child has had a seizure:

Clear the area of anything that the child might injure themselves on, for example, toys or sharp objects.
Do not try to restrain the childâ€™s arms or legs or put anything in their mouth.
You can try to lower their temperature by sponging them gently with lukewarm water.
Make an appointment to see your family doctor.
Many parents will understandably be very concerned if their child experiences a seizure and may feel it is necessary to call an ambulance.

However, childhood fits are quite common and very rarely serious. Often, the ambulance paramedic may be able to treat your child without taking them to hospital.

If someone has repeated seizures, they may be diagnosed with epilepsy. If you or someone you are with has an epileptic seizure and you are unsure about what you should do, phone for an ambulance immediately. Try to give the ambulance paramedic as much information as possible about any prescribed medication the person is taking. Always phone for an ambulance if a fit lasts longer than five minutes.

Sometimes, the situation may be less serious than you originally thought. Some ambulance services are starting to use â€˜Treat and Referâ€™ policies, which helps the paramedic to make a decision about whether the patient should be taken to hospital or can be treated without taking them to hospital.