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Accident and Emergency 

Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments provide urgent treatment for serious and life-threatening conditions. You should only use A&E for medical emergencies where immediate hospital care is needed.

Information:

If your condition is not life-threatening, other NHS services may be more appropriate and can help you more quickly.

What is A&E?

A&E is the hospital department that treats people who have:

  • Serious injuries
  • Sudden, severe illness
  • Life-threatening conditions

You may arrive at A&E by ambulance or by making your own way to hospital.

A&E departments are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

A&E departments in Essex


There are five emergency departments located within Essex. These are located at:

Use the NHS website to check locations, travel information, and current waiting times where available.

When should I go to A&E?

Go to A&E or call 999 immediately if you or someone else has:

  • Chest pain or suspected heart attack
  • Signs of stroke (face drooping, arm weakness, speech problems)
  • Severe breathing difficulties
  • Heavy or uncontrolled bleeding
  • Serious head injury
  • Loss of consciousness
  • Seizures that do not stop
  • Severe burns
  • Major trauma or accidents

These symptoms may be life-threatening and need urgent hospital treatment.

When should I use another service?

If your condition is not life-threatening, you may get faster help from:

NHS 111

For urgent advice when you are unsure what to do.

Your GP

For ongoing or non-urgent health problems.

Your local pharmacy

For minor illnesses, medicines advice, and self-care support.

Urgent treatment centres or minor injury units

For minor injuries such as sprains, minor burns, or cuts.

Using the right service helps reduce pressure on emergency departments and ensures A&E is available for those who need it most.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Yes. You can attend A&E directly in an emergency. However, if you are unsure, contacting NHS 111 first can help you get the right care.

Patients are seen based on how serious their condition is. If others are more unwell, you may have to wait.

Not necessarily.

All patients in A&E are assessed through triage and seen based on how serious their condition is, not how they arrive.

If you arrive by ambulance with a life-threatening condition, you will usually be treated very quickly. However, if your condition is less serious, you may still need to wait, even if you came by ambulance.

Ambulances are for people who need urgent medical care during their journey to hospital. Calling an ambulance will not speed up treatment for non-emergency conditions.

If you are unsure whether you need an ambulance, contact NHS 111 for advice.

When you arrive, you will be assessed by a trained healthcare professional.

This process is called triage.

Patients are seen in order of clinical need, not arrival time. This means:

  • People who are more seriously ill are treated first
  • Some patients may need to wait longer

Many A&E departments also have separate minor injury or urgent care areas, often led by specialist nurses.

Some A&E departments have minor injury areas. However, many minor problems can be treated more quickly at urgent treatment centres, minor injury units, or pharmacies.

Use NHS 111, your GP, or your local pharmacy for non-emergency care.

Unless you are exempt from NHS prescription charges, you will need to pay the standard NHS prescription charge for each item prescribed in A&E.

You may be asked to pay:

  • At the hospital pharmacy when collecting your medicine, or
  • Through an invoice from the hospital’s accounts department if the medicine is dispensed in A&E

Some medicines, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, can often be bought more cheaply from pharmacies or supermarkets.

If you would prefer to buy your own, tell your doctor or nurse before the prescription is issued.

If you are exempt from prescription charges, you will not need to pay.

GP talking with patient in NHS Essex clinic

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