Triage
All patients that present at the emergency department are first of all assessed by what is known as Triage (preliminary evaluation) which is undertaken by a very experienced Emergency Department nurse. Triage is a system of prioritising patients so those in most need are seen first. This system categorises patients into 5 different categories ranging from life threatening injuries and illnesses to problems of a primary care nature. The triage system that is in operation in the department is known as The Manchester Triage System. You will be assigned a triage category based on your medical need and informed of that category. You will then be asked to return to the waiting room, until a treatment area is available. Some patients will undergo a secondary assessment by a nurse and may be asked to return to the waiting room until a treatment area is available. Patients who are triaged as category 1 or 2 will be transferred to a treatment area where they will be prioritised for treatment before they are transferred to another area of the ED or a different department in the hospital.
On occasions when the department is overwhelmed , in an attempt to speed up patient flow “fast tracking” is undertaken for patients in the minor category. A senior doctor and nurse will undertake this for patients who do not require a trolley to be examined. This is reversing the order of seeing patients i.e. the minor injuries seen first.