The Same Day Emergency Care Unit (SDEC) is part of the Emergency Services Division at University College Hospital. It is in the same part of the hospital as the Emergency Department, on the ground floor of University College Hospital in the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing.
The area is made up of sixteen chairs and eight trolley spaces. We also have a number of assessment rooms and a waiting area.
Our team includes doctors, nurses, health care assistants, advanced clinical practitioners, physiotherapists and occupational therapists.
Our hospital is a teaching hospital, so nursing and medical students and observers may be present for some consultations. If you do not wish to have them in the room, please let the team know and the student will be asked to step outside.
Ambulatory Emergency Care
One of the services within SDEC, Ambulatory Emergency Care, provides same-day access to urgent assessment and treatment to patients referred by another healthcare professional that otherwise would be seen within the Emergency Department. The goal of Ambulatory Emergency Care is to provide care and treatment over a few hours so that patient can go home on the same day and avoids them being admitted to hospital. Ambulatory Emergency Care treats a wider range of conditions including:
- Headaches
- low-risk chest pain
- anaemia
- abnormal blood test results
- deep vein thrombosis
- infections
We are open Monday to Sunday 8 am - 8 pm. Our last referral is accepted at 6 pm.
Patient contact
General enquiries
Service management
Sofia Ribeiro
Address
Same Day Emergency Care Unit (SDEC)
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing
Ground Floor
25 Grafton Way
London, WC1E 6DB
Other referral information
Please call our Ambulatory Emergency Care mobile phone on 07908 250 947.
The phone will be answered by the team and or the consultant between 09:00 and 18:00. This phone is not answered outside of these hours. Please do not leave a voicemail as it will not be checked.
We will not accept referrals for patients who have:
- Heart rate of >120
- Fever and a cough
- Sats <92% (unless COPD and this is their baseline)
- Requiring cardiac monitoring
- NEWS >5
These patients are better managed in the Emergency Department.
For any emergencies or advice out of hours, please contact the Duty Medical Registrar on 07970 492 188.
You will either be referred directly by your GP, 111, staff in the Emergency Department, or occasionally you may be brought in by ambulance.
We ask that you report to our reception desk on arrival. Here we will confirm your details and check you in on our system. Reception staff will ask you to confirm that the information we have for you, including your address and GP, is up to date.
You will be assessed by a nurse or health care assistant who will take some observations including blood pressure, pulse and temperature. Sometimes they may also complete further investigations such as an electrocardiogram (heart rhythm trace), take some blood or ask you to provide a urine or stool sample.
You will then be assessed by one of our advanced clinical practitioners or doctors. They will ask you to explain your symptoms and any background. Following assessment, they may request some tests including scans or bloods.
Our aim is to arrange any required diagnostic tests on the day you visit us. However, sometimes we may ask you to return on another day. Once we have your results, a treatment plan will be put in place. If you need medication, this will be dispensed by the hospital pharmacy.
All patients referred to a specialty by the Emergency Department and not requiring resuscitation-level care are transferred to SDEC. Some patients with specific symptoms may also be transferred to Ambulatory Emergency Care. You will still be able to access diagnostics and imaging as per all emergency floor patients.
The length of time you spend in SDEC will depend on the investigations and/or treatment you need. The average patient is with us between four and six hours. If you need to be admitted to hospital, we will allocate you a bed on an appropriate ward in a timely manner.
When your treatment has ended, we will discharge you and send a discharge summary to your GP. This will provide information about the events of your stay and treatment. Sometimes we may arrange a phone call to follow you up or refer you onto an outpatient clinic for further management.
Please call our Ambulatory Emergency Care mobile phone on 07908 250 947.
The phone will be answered by the team and or the consultant between 9 am and 6 pm. This phone is not answered outside of these hours. Please do not leave a voicemail as it will not be checked.
We will not accept referrals for patients who have:
- Heart rate of >120
- Fever and a cough
- Sats <92% (unless COPD and this is their baseline)
- Requiring cardiac monitoring
- NEWS >5
These patients are better managed in the Emergency Department.
For any emergencies or advice out of hours, please contact the Duty Medical Registrar on 07970 492 188.
Please contact our reception team on: 020 3447 6009
Email: uclh.
- Service Manager: Sofia Ribeiro
- Charge Nurse: Jo Porca
- Clinical Lead: Christine Gregson
- Nurse Consultant: Anne Schlattl
