Accident and Emergency

Please note: Changes to A&E access

Due to the construction of a temporary building next to our A&E department, there will be some changes to how you access our A&E department due to the A&E car park being closed.

This means that access to A&E will be closed off from the Bar Lane entrance.

Find out more

About us

Our Emergency Departments (EDs) at Pinderfields and Dewsbury Hospitals are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for the treatment of serious and potentially life threatening conditions. These include:

loss of consciousness
acute confused state
fits that are not stopping
persistent, severe chest pain
breathing difficulties
severe bleeding that cannot be stopped
severe allergic reactions
severe burns or scalds.

If it is not a life-threatening emergency and you don’t need immediate medical attention, please consider other options before dialling 999 or coming to the Emergency Department.

Choosing the most appropriate place for care allows ambulance and ED staff to concentrate on people whose lives are at risk, and can potentially save you a long wait.

Our Emergency Departments are extremely busy at the moment. Please only attend if you are acutely unwell - in serious or life-threatening situations.

Those people who are assessed as lower acuity will wait for long periods or be asked to seek alternative support. This includes NHS 111, GP services, including out of hours GP, and your local pharmacy.

Thank you for your support in helping us to look after those who are most in need of our expertise.

Alternatives to the Emergency Department

If you think you may need to go to the emergency department but you’re not sure you can seek help and advice from a number of other places, such as:

your GP
your local pharmacist
you dentist
NHS 111 service - if you need medical help fast, but it's not a 999 emergency. You will be assessed, given advice and directed straightaway to the local service that can help you best. Calls to NHS 111 are free from landlines and mobile phones.
NHS walk-in centre.
- King Street Health Centre, King Street, Wakefield, WF1 2SN. Telephone 0845 121 1023. Open from 10am to 10pm, Monday - Saturday and 10am to 7:30pm on Sundays.
- Locala Walk-in Centre based in Dewsbury A&E department. 01924 542695. Open from 9am to 8pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am to 6pm, Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays. Nurse practitioners and paramedic practitioners are available to diagnose and treat minor illnesses and injuries. They do not see patients under the age of one or patients with pregnancy related illnesses. Visit Locala for more information.

You can also visit our Urgent Treatment Centre at Pontefract Hospital. Click here to see what can be treated there.

Choose well

It is importat that you choosing the right service when you’re feeling under the weather. Doing this will ensure that you receive the advice and treatment you require as well as allowing services to be able to see people who may need urgent emergency care.

Below you will find information on the available services should you need advice, care or treatment.

For a hangover, grazed knee, sore throat and cough: Use your first-aid kit
For vomiting, general health issues, ear, stomach and back ache: Visit your GP Practice
For diarrhoea, a runny nose, painful cough and headache: Visit your local Pharmacy
For choking, chest pain, severe bleeding or if some one has blacked out: Visit the Emergency Department

What happens when I visit the Emergency Department

Please be aware we prioritise the treatment of our patients according to the seriousness of their condition so you may see people who arrived after you being treated before you.

Who will I see

Patients will have an initial assessment as soon as possible after arrival – this is usually by a nurse.

Following that initial assessment, tests, further assessment by a doctor or specialist nurse, and/or treatment may be advised. Some patients may require admission to hospital – this could be either at Wakefield or Dewsbury according to the patient’s condition. A few patients may need specialist care elsewhere.