Emergency Department at UHK

 The Emergency Department sees, treats and manages patients (adult and children) presenting with a vast and undifferentiated spectrum of illnesses and injuries. The department remains open 24hours a day, every day of the year.

The Emergency Department of University Hospital Kerry supports around 35,000 patients each year. 

If you are referred to the Emergency Department by your GP, or if you present yourself, here are a few things you should know…

  • The ED is available all day every day for those who are seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk. The ED is NOT run on a first-come first served basis. The sickest people will be seen first.
  • Bring your medicines or photo of your prescription;  GP referring letter; next of  kin contact information and any mobility aids with you
  • Register with reception
  • Soon after you check-in you will be seen by a Triage nurse who will prioritise your case based on your condition
  • One family member or friend may accompany you to the examination room
  • After this assessment you may need to wait depending on the Triage assessment – if you r condition changes and  you begin to feel worse  please let the staff  know  right away
  • You will be seen by the ED medical and or nursing staff where further reassessment and treatment of your condition will occur. You may be referred to other Specialist teams depending on your injury or  illness.
  • There may be a further wait as these specialists are also working in other areas of the hospital.

Note to GPs:  GPs can send their referral letters by Health Link to the Emergency Department.

Arrival and Triage

A receptionist is on duty 24 hours a day to receive patients and facilitate admission into the unit by collecting essential registration details. Registration of a patient will in no circumstance hamper a patient’s urgent care. If previously admitted these notes will be retrieved for the continuation of care.

A Triage Nurse will assess you as soon as possible after arrival to ensure that the most urgent patient is seen first and not necessarily according to arrival time, including patients arriving by Ambulance. After a patient has been triaged, they will be streamed to different areas in the department most appropriate to their presentation. 

In the ED of UHK, we have our own Paediatric waiting area, where Children will wait to be seen by the Paediatric on-call team in cases of a medical nature. If a child has been assessed by a GP and referred in with a surgical condition, these children will then be directly assessed by the Surgical on-call team.

We are also proud to have Advance Nurse Practitioners (ANP’s) as an integral part of our unit who will see and treat the more minor injuries like, sprains, fractures and lacerations. This is to facilitate a faster flow through the unit and keep acute presentation waiting times as low as possible.

All other patients will be seen and treated by a combined team of skilled nurses and doctors

Contact

Tel: (066) 7184100

Key People

Dr. Herlo Coetzer, Consultant in Emergency Medicine

Dr. Prodeep Mukherjee, Consultant in Emergency Medicine

Dr. Martin Boyd, Consultant in Emergency Medicine

Mairead O’Sullivan, ADON for the Emergency Department

Anita Keane, CNM111 for the Emergency Department