Referral to SAU
Referrals from GPs come via a call centre called the Hub. The telephone call is taken by an experienced nurse. Your GP will be asked for a full set of observations (to calculate a National Early Warning Score (NEWS) score). The nurse will then either:
- Arrange a direct admission for you to SAU
- Arrange an appointment in the appropriate hot clinic for you
- Discuss your referral with a surgeon.
Admission to SAU
On arrival it is important that you report to the receptionist.
If you have been directly referred into a bed on SAU, the first thing that will happen is that you will be assessed to see if you can be treated in ambulatory care. If this is not possible then blood and urine samples will be taken and you will be assessed by a doctor. The doctor will then decide if further investigations are needed.
Most emergency tests are carried out within 4 hours but some more specialist tests might require a longer timescale. There is a consultant ward round twice a day and all patients will be reviewed by a Consultant within 24 hours of admission.
Consultants from the Medicine for Older People specialty work collaboratively with the Surgical Admissions Unit team to comprehensively assess older patients who have undergone major surgery to identify and manage medical complications post-operatively and support recovery, rehabilitation and complex discharge planning.
Contact SAU
SAU is on 32B, Level 1, Brunel building, Southmead Hospital.
It is above the Medical Admission Unit (MAU), Emergency Department (ED) and Radiology which are on Level 0.
Telephone: 0117 4143234 or 0117 4143233