Emergency

Phone:	9845 0000 (patient information),
Fax:	9845 0825
Location:	Main entrance, Main building, level 2

Emergency Department:

We provide care to nearly 50,000 patients and their families every year, admitting approximately 24% of them. These patients range from common paediatric problems to life threatening medical and surgical emergencies including trauma and burns and cardiac arrests.  All of them are acutely unwell and their families are anxious.

All patients are seen on arrival by a senior nurse who assesses the urgency of their condition (Triage).  This follows the Australasian standard scale.  Patients with common conditions  then have their treatment started by the Clinical Initiatives Nurse.  This includes fluids for children with vomiting and diarrhoea, information for those with fever, X-rays for children with limb injuries.  They are then seen by a doctor or Nurse Practitioner who confirms the diagnosis. 

Patients who are sent home are asked to see their GP to continue their ongoing care.  The GP is asked to follow up any test results not available at time of discharge.

Recent Initiatives

The Kids Care Clinic KCC has recently opened to provide care for children with simple complaints.  The department has an 8 bed Short Stay Unit (EMU).  The triage area has been rebuilt to allow close examination of patients.  The waiting room has been upgraded to a fun play room.

Education

The Emergency Department provides a comprehensve education programme on many levels:

4 medical students from University of Sydney come each week to the Emergency Department, elective students also spend 2-4 weeks learning acute paediatrics.  The department is part of the Discipline of Emergency Medicine.

Nursing students from University of Western Sydney, Catholic University, University of Newcastle and others rotate through the department to learn acute paediatrics.

Three fellows work for 12 months in the department developing expertise in paediatric emergency medicine -developing clinical care, education , research and administrative skills.  The department is part of the PEMS (Paediatric Emergency Medicine Society).

Registrars training in paediatrics, emergency medicine and general practice work for 3-6 month terms with education sessions covering acute paediatrics, specific advanced paediatric emergency topics and multidisciplinary case review sessions.  Registrars are seconded from Royal North Shore, Westmead, Royal Prince Alfred, Liverpool Hospitals. Prince of Wales  and St Vincent's Hospital.

Residents spend 3 months building their acute paediatric skills.  These doctors include those working for 12 months at CHW and also seconded from Westmead and Hornsby Hospitals.

We run a variety of nursing educational programs.  This includes the First Year Transition to Nursing Program, Transition to Speciality Practice -Emergency paediatrics.  We also have clear educational pathways for Emergency Nurses following management, education or clinical paths. 

We have three Nurse Practitioners.  They cover a variety of areas of practice with their scopes ranging from paediatric acute care to emergency care. 

All nursing staff are mentored using the REACH Programme. 

Paediatric Update Days are held twice a year for nursing and medical staff from across NSW with approx 100 attendees each time.  Other training days are available throughout the year.

The current focus of education is multidisciplinary education on paediatric resuscitation.

Research

The department is part of the PREDICT Australiasian research group.  Current areas of research are ultrsound assessment of shock, asthma, trauma, parental grief and teaching cardiopulmonary resuscitation. 

How to make an appointment:

Appointments are not necessary for emergency patients.

All calls from doctors regarding patientstotheAdmitting Officer on 9845 2454.

Letters from your GP are very helpful in working out the problem. They do not mean your child is seen faster, but they often help get to the cause of the problem. Ongoing care after leaving the Emergency Department is very important to monitor your child and check the results. Most children should go home with a letter to their GP for his records.

The administrative section of the department can be reached in working hours on 9845 2460

Senior staff in Emergency Department

• Dr Mary McCaskill, Medical Director
• Leonnie Dawson, Nurse Manager
• Dr Jason Hort, Deputy Head, Coordinator of Advanced Paediatric Training
• Dr Gary Browne Clinical Professor, Head of Acadmic Emergency Medicine
• Dr Fenton O'Leary, Director of Emergency Medical Training
• Dr Nicholas Cheng, Emergency Paediatrician
• Dr Susan Phin, Emergency Paediatrician
• Dr Bruce Fasher, Emergency Paediatrician
• Dr Robert Chu, Emergency Paediatrician
• Dr Holly Smith, Emergency Paediatrician
• Dr Peter Ngo, Paediatric Emergency Physician
• Dr Andrea Christoff Emergency Paediatrician
• Dr Jeanette Marchant, Emergency Paediatrician
• Dr Sarah Dalton, Emergency Paediatrician
• Dr Raymond Chin, Emergency Paediatrician
• Nadine Mari, Nurse Unit Manager
• Dominic Sertori, Nurse Unit Manager
• Celeste Daniels, Nurse Unit Manager
• Jennifer Major Nurse Educator
• Helen Gosby, Nurse Practitioner
• Martin Madejski, Nurse Practitioner