Accident and Emergency
Our Emergency Departments (ED or A&E) 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.
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.
Our Emergency Departments are extremely busy at the moment.
Please only attend if you are acutely unwell - in serious or life-threatening situations.
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.
Video transcript: A&E departments at Mid Yorkshire NHS are extremely busy.docx[docx] 13KB
About us
Our Emergency Departments (also known as ED or A&E) at Pinderfields and Dewsbury Hospitals are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for serious or life-threatening conditions only.
Adults – come to A&E if you have:
- Heart attack signs: chest pain, pressure, heaviness, or tightness
- Stroke signs: face drooping, arm weakness, or speech problems
- Severe breathing difficulty or choking
- Heavy bleeding that won’t stop
- Serious injury from an accident or assault
- Seizure (fit) or loss of consciousness
- Severe allergic reaction: sudden swelling of lips, mouth, throat, or tongue
- Sudden confusion (not knowing name or age)
- Suicide attempt or self-harm
Children – come to A&E if they have:
- Seizure (fit) or are unconscious
- Choking or severe breathing problems (grunting, sucking in under ribs)
- Cannot stay awake or seem unusually sleepy
- Blue, grey, or very pale skin, lips, or tongue
- Limp or floppy body
- Heavy bleeding or serious injury
- Stroke signs: face drooping, arm weakness, or speech problems
- Severe allergic reaction (swelling of lips, mouth, throat, or tongue)
- Sudden confusion, agitation, or nonstop crying
View the following leaflet for how to recognise your child is seriously ill:
British Sign Language (BSL) speakers can make a BSL video call to 999.
If you are deaf please use 18000 to contact 999 using text relay.
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.
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.
Arriving by Ambulance
The ambulance crew will share your details with staff on arrival.
Please note, that arriving by ambulance doesn’t always mean you’ll be seen sooner.
Walking In
When you arrive, please register at reception. You’ll be asked for your name, address, and reason for your visit.
If you need an interpreter (including BSL) or help because of a disability, tell a member of staff.
Assessment (“Triage”)
After registering, you’ll wait to be called for an assessment by a nurse or doctor. This helps us decide who needs urgent care first.
All patients are assessed by a doctor or nurse before any treatment takes place. This is called "triage" and helps the team work out what order to see patients in, so they see the most seriously unwell people first.
Treatment, Transfer or Discharge
After your assessment:
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If you’re seriously unwell, you’ll see an A&E doctor and may be admitted or referred to a specialist.
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If A&E isn’t the right place, you may be directed to an Urgent Treatment Centre or GP.
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Some people may be given a prescription and sent home with care advice.
Your GP will be updated about your visit and any treatment you received.
Who will I see
You will have an initial assessment as soon as possible after arrival – this is usually by a nurse.
After this, you may need tests, a doctor or specialist review, or treatment.
Some patients are admitted to hospital at Pinderfields Hospital or Dewsbury and District Hospital and a few may be sent elsewhere for specialist care.
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
- NHS 111 service
- NHS walk-in centre
- Urgent Treatment Centre
- your dentist
Self-care
Common ailments and illnesses can be treated at home, such as:
- Hangover
- Grazed knee
- Sore throat
- Cough
These can be helped with medicines and by getting plenty of rest. Self-care is the best choice to treat very minor illnesses and injuries.
If you are unsure about whether your illness requires self-care, please visit: NHS 111 online.
Your local Pharmacy
If you aren't feeling well and need advice about:
- Fevers
- Stomach upset
- Diarrhoea
- Running nose
- Painful cough
- Aches and pains
- Headaches
To find your nearest pharmacy and opening times, visit NHS: Find a Pharmacy - NHS.
NHS 111
If you need medical support 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.
Depending on the situation, the NHS 111 team can connect you to a nurse, emergency dentist, or even a GP, and can arrange a face-to-face appointment if they think you need one. They can also assess if you need an ambulance and send one immediately, if necessary.
The service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
GP Surgery
For symptoms that don’t go away, such as:
- Vomiting
- Ear pain
- Back pain
- Stomach pain
- General health issues
To find your nearest GP surgery and opening times, visit the NHS: Doctor Finder - NHS
If you struggle to make a GP appointment during standard working hours, you can get evening and weekend appointments with a GP, nurse or other healthcare professional by visiting the GP appointments and booking webpage
Urgent treatment centre
Urgent treatment centres are available for non life-threatening medical issues such as:
- Sprains
- Fractures
- Minor burns
- Skin infection and rashes
- Injuries, cuts and bruises
- Stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhoea
- High temperature in children and adults
- Mental health concerns
You can visit our urgent treatment centre at Pontefract Hospital - find out what can be treated at the centre.
The address is:
- Pontefract — Urgent Care Centre, Pontefract Hospital, Friar wood Ln, Pontefract WF8 1PL. Open 24 hours, Monday — Sunday.
Walk-in centres
A&E services are not the only services that can help when you have an urgent health need which isn’t a life-threatening emergency but requires urgent assessment.
The walk-in Centres for Wakefield and Dewsbury are:
- Wakefield — King Street Health Centre, King Street, Wakefield, WF1 2SN.
Open from 10am to 10pm, Monday — Sunday.Advanced practitioners are available to diagnose and treat minor illnesses. They do not see patients under the age of one, or patients with pregnancy related illnesses.
- Dewsbury — Accident and Emergency, Halifax Rd, Dewsbury WF13 4HS.
Telephone 01924 542695.
Open from 9am to 8pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am to 6pm, Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays.
Advanced practitioners are available to diagnose and treat minor illnesses. They do not see patients under the age of one, or patients with pregnancy related illnesses.
Dewsbury does not offer a routine wound care or re-dressing service.
Choose well
It is important that you choose 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.
To learn more about how you can choose well, visit: Together We Can
Discover the health services map and guide
A health services map and guide has been created to help people living in Wakefield District find the best local NHS service for their needs.
The guide includes useful tips for staying well in winter, information on how to look after yourself and your loved ones at home, and which service to use when you need help. This guide will help you access the best support system for you, so we can help our local NHS services from being under pressure.
Further information about the services available, whether it’s an everyday concern, an ongoing health issue, or an emergency. Visit: Local services guide - Wakefield District Health & Care Partnership