Emergency Department

COVID-19

Due to state safety restrictions, information on this page may be subject to change. Please see our COVID-19 information for the latest details and how you may be affected.

If you are seeking assistance, or testing for Coronavirus (COVID-19), please visit your nearest COVID-19 clinic; or contact your GP.

If you need urgent assistance, please present to our emergency department and put on a mask on arrival.

Our services

We provide adult and paediatric emergency services free of charge to public patients.

Our Emergency Department offers 48 clinical treatment bays and three resuscitation bays. 

What to do in an emergency

If you have a life-threatening medical condition, call 000 immediately and ask for an ambulance.

If possible, when attending our Emergency Department please bring with you:

• your Medicare Card
• any other entitlement cards (health care, pension, veterans, safety net)
• your passport/health insurance details (overseas visitors/students)
• private health insurance details (if you want to be admitted as a private patient)
• a list of your current medications
• any x-rays/ultrasounds/scans that may be related to your condition
• your employment contact details if your condition is covered by workers’ compensation
• the name and details of your general practitioner.

When you arrive

You will be seen as soon as possible, according to the severity of your illness or injury, and not in order of attendance. If another patient comes to the Emergency Department with a more serious condition (whether by ambulance or another vehicle), you may be required to wait. We thank you for your patience and understanding.

Upon arrival, please take a ticket. You will then be assessed by a triage nurse when your number is called.

The triage nurse will ask questions and assess your condition to determine your level of priority, as one of the following:

• immediate (life threatening)
• very urgent
• urgent
• standard
• non-urgent.

You may need to be taken straight into the department or directed to wait in the waiting room.

While you are waiting, please inform the triage nurse if you have chest pain, your condition changes or you decide to seek treatment elsewhere.

To view our current waiting times, please go to the WA Health Emergency Department waiting times website.

What happens next?

Once you are taken inside the Emergency Department, our nurses and doctors will complete a thorough assessment of your condition.

Tests and procedures will be carried out when necessary. The team will review your test results and provide emergency treatment, and will then decide to either:

• allow you to return home with a referral for further care if necessary (such as a follow-up appointment with your local doctor or an outpatient appointment)
• monitor your condition for a few hours before making a decision regarding your care
• admit you to hospital for further care.

Sometimes you may need to wait for test results or for a ward bed to become available. We will continue to care for you until you are able to go to a ward or be discharged home.

Our team

The Emergency Department team includes doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, advanced scope physiotherapists, social workers and support staff. As a teaching hospital, we also have students assisting our medical and nursing staff.

To find out more about the support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our Emergency Department view this video.