Accident and Emergency

The Accident and Emergency (A&E) service aims to provide high quality emergency care for our local patients and visitors.

Patients who are severely injured or seriously ill always receive priority in A&E.

Coming to hospital as an emergency

 Emergency services should only be used in very serious or life-threatening situations such as

• Difficulty in breathing
• chest pain
• collapse
• severe blood loss
• signs of a stroke

In these cases call 999, tell the operator it is a medical emergency and a response vehicle will be sent to where you are. 

Experienced paramedics will assess you and decide on the best place for your care. 

If you are suspected of having a stroke you will be taken to the nearest Hyper Acute Stroke Unit (HASU) at St George’s Hospital. 

If you have suffered a severe injury which will need specialised surgery you will be taken the nearest major trauma centre for example St George’s Hospital. 

Critically ill or injured children and babies may be taken to a hospital with specialised services for children such as St Thomas’s or Great Ormond Street.  

All other emergencies may be taken by ambulance to either the main Accident and Emergency department (A&E) at Croydon University Hospital or another hospital's A&E service.

People who have urgent but not life-threatening conditions can be seen at one of the following services:

• Urgent Care Centre at Croydon University Hospital Please note this is a GP led service run by Virgin Care, not Croydon Health Services.

• Minor Injuries Unit at New Addington
• Minor Injuries Service at Purley Hospital Please note: This service will continue at Purley during refurbishment work. In Spring 2013 diagnostic services will be available again and the service will become an Urgent Care Service.

There they will be assessed, treated or discharged with appropriate support. 

Where clinically possible this process will take less than four hours.

Children’s Accident and Emergency:

This is a separate department within A&E catering for children under 16.

To get advice and treatment for a wide range of children's minor illnesses and injuries that would normally be provided in the community, read Children's Urgent Care Services.

111

If you live in the London Borough of Croydon you can now call 111 when you need medical help fast, but it isn’t a 999 emergency.

NHS 111 is a fast and easy way to get the right help – wherever you are, and whatever the time.

You can call NHS 111 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and all calls from landlines and mobiles are free.