The Acute Medical Department is located in the Orange Zone on the ground floor of East Surrey Hospital, near the emergency department (ED). It consists of an Acute Medical Unit with 44 beds and a Medical SDEC (Same Day Emergency Care) unit with 2 consultant rooms, a six bedded bay and a procedure room.
The Acute Medical Unit is the main ward for medical inpatient admissions and a specialist service providing care for up to 72 hours. Within that time, patients are given initial treatment and then either allowed home with planned outpatient care (if necessary) to a SASH specialist clinic or admitted to a specialist ward. The exceptions to this are acute stroke patients and patients requiring coronary care. The unit is staffed by Consultant Acute Physicians, resident doctors, physician associates, and Acute Medical nursing staff and supported by a multidisciplinary team including therapists, pharmacists and an administrative team.
The Acute Medicine Department is one of the country's leading units in providing point of care Ultrasound, which helps to assess patients more thoroughly and to enable rapid clinical decision-making.
Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) is the provision of same-day care for emergency patients who might otherwise be admitted to hospital. Patients presenting at hospital or referred by a GP with relevant conditions can be rapidly assessed, diagnosed and treated without being admitted to a ward, and if clinically safe to do so, will go home on the same day. Referrals to SDEC are accepted from the Emergency Department, primary care and the ambulance service and the service is open 8am to 8pm seven days a week. The last referral accepted from primary care is 5pm due to the likely need for diagnostics. Patients cannot self-refer to this service currently. In the unit, patients are seen in order of clinical priority and usually stay up to 6 hours during which time they may have diagnostic tests, receive treatment and will be seen by a clinician.
For primary care referrals:
Clinicians in primary care can contact the Acute Medical team via the SDEC referral bleep via switchboard 01737 768 511 from 8am to 8pm. Calls are taken by our senior Advanced Nurse practitioner. Out of hours referrals should be made via switchboard to the on call Medical Specialist Registrar.