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Emergency Department

The St John of God Murdoch Hospital Emergency Department is a purpose built facility for the management of acute illness and injury and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Specially trained caregivers, the latest medical technology and the facilities of a new hospital combine to ensure critical care of the highest standard to all age groups.

The Emergency Department is able to cater for most emergency and trauma situations. It is set up to facilitate the assessment and management of patients with medical conditions that are either too severe or too complex to be managed in a GP's rooms.

St John of God Murdoch Hospital Emergency Department is a private emergency facility and fees will apply.

If you require the Emergency Department, please telephone  9366 1111.

Fees and charges

  • There are out of pocket costs associated with your attendance and treatment - charged at a flat rate fee for all initial presentations. 
  • The fee covers: your triage assessment, nursing care, facilities access and most medication used during your emergency visit.
  • Please note: Private Health Insurance or Medicare does not cover the out-of-pocket fee, and fees are subject to change without prior notice.
  • Any SKG or St John of God Pathology assessments are billed separately.

Waiting for treatment

To ensure patients with severe or life threatening illnesses/injuries are prioritised, a system called ‘triage’ is used to categorise all patients’ conditions.

On arrival, patients are seen by a triage nurse and people who require the most urgent care will be treated first regardless of who arrived in the emergency department first. We cannot always guarantee the availability of a bed or a specialist.

Therefore, you should always consider whether you or the person you are supporting could be treated in the local GP clinic rather than in an emergency department.

If you decide that emergency care is required, please bring:

  • Medical records or a Personal Health Diary to the Emergency Department. Make sure that the medical information is up to date and accurate (it is best to do this regularly, before an emergency occurs)

If the doctor recommends you be admitted to hospital, you will be asked to nominate an appropriate specialist who will be asked to look after you by St John of God Murdoch Hospital. 

Uninsured patients will be given the option of transferring to a public hospital.

 

Hospitalisation

We will make every effort to facilitate admission to our hospital.

If an appropriate medical specialist is unavailable within a clinically appropriate period or bed availability is restricted, we may need to arrange for your transfer to another hospital that is able to provide that service to you.

 

Ambulance transfers

Use of the patient transfer services of St John Ambulance will be charged directly by St John Ambulance in accordance of their fee structure.  

 

Improving access to emergency departments for people with disabilities

St John of God Murdoch Hospital is committed to improving access for people with disabilities. The hospital aims to ensure that people with disabilities (including staff), their families and carers, have fair and reasonable access to the range of facilities and services provided by the hospital.

In order to get the best care for a person with a disability, please consider the following simple guidelines:

  • Take yourself or the person you are supporting to the triage nurse to be registered and assessed.
  • If the person you are supporting is a family member, identify yourself as family, rather than using the word "carer".
  • If you are supporting a person with a disability let the triage nurse know if you need to stay with the patient.

Reasons that you may need to stay include:

  • The person you are supporting is unable to make an informed decision about their car.
  • The person you are supporting is unable to communicate medical history or current needs.
  • The person you are supporting becomes distressed in a hospital environment.
  • The person you are supporting is at risk of hurting themself.

If the person you are supporting is getting worse while you are waiting, please let the triage nurse know immediately. Remain with the person you are supporting once they are admitted onto the emergency ward. If you have to leave the treatment area please inform the nursing staff.

It is important to make sure you understand what needs to be done about the condition before you leave the hospital. You may like to ask for a written note, which can go onto a personal file.

All people have a right to be treated with courtesy and respect. If you have a concern or complaint regarding any aspect of care or service, please speak to the Coordinator or Clinical Nurse Manager or a member of staff.

If the issue is unresolved, you may contact the Office of Health Review 9323 0600, Country Call 1800 813 583.

Murdoch