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How busy is the Bendigo Health Emergency Department?
- NORMAL: Even during normal activity staff are often busy and waiting times around an hour can be expected.
- VERY BUSY: As we get busier, the number of people in the waiting room increases and the time you may need to wait for treatment gets longer.
- EXTREMELY BUSY: When we are extremely busy, the waiting room often gets crowded and some people may need to wait more than four hours.
The number of patients in the waiting room isn't always a reflection of how busy we are, please don't delay seeking care based on this estimate.
At Bendigo Health our Emergency Department (ED) is here for people who need urgent and life-saving care.
Our goal is to make sure everyone receives the care they need, when they need it, regardless of how you arrive or are referred.
Our ED is experiencing growing demand, and care is prioritised through a triage system that assesses clinical urgency. This makes sure the sickest and most seriously injured patients are seen first rather than in order of arrival. This may result in waiting times during busy periods.
When to come to the ED
Please attend the ED for serious or potentially life-threatening conditions such as:
- chest pain or difficulty breathing
- stroke symptoms (face droop, arm weakness, speech changes)
- severe abdominal pain
- major injuries or heavy bleeding
- major trauma
For less urgent issues (including mild infections, minor injuries, prescription repeats, chronic problems), consider alternatives such as your GP, telehealth, or urgent care centres. This helps keep our ED available for those who need it most, while still getting you appropriate and timely care.
If you come to the ED, please bring your medication, or a list of your current medications, with you.
There are now more bulk-billed, same-day GP appointments available across our region.
For less urgent issues, you may be able to access quicker and more appropriate care through:
- HotDoc
Bendigo Doctors - Book Doctors Online with HotDoc
Book same-day GP appointments online - Bendigo Medicare Urgent Care Clinic
Bendigo Medicare Urgent Care Clinic | healthdirect
Phone 03 5445 5690 - Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED)
Home - Victorian Virtual Emergency Department
Speak to a doctor or nurse online, 24 hours a day, seven days a week - NURSE-ON-CALL 1300 60 60 24
Free advice from a registered nurse, anytime - Mental Health Triage and Enhanced Crisis Assessment Team
Phone 1300 363 788, 24 hours a day, seven days a week
What to expect in the ED
- Triage assessment: When you arrive a nurse assesses your condition and prioritise’s care using a triage system.
- Registration: Your details are recorded by reception staff.
- Waiting period: This may vary depending on how urgent your condition is and current demand. If you have any concerns while you are waiting, please talk to the triage nurse.
- Initial clinical review: The waiting room nurse and/or doctor may assess you, begin investigations and start treatment whilst you are in the waiting room.
- ED doctor review: An Emergency Department doctor takes overall responsibility for your care, reviews your results and coordinates further management.
- Decision-making: You may be discharged home, referred for follow-up, or admitted to hospital.
- Discharge and advice: If going home, you'll receive prescriptions and instructions inlcuding when to seek further care.
Head of Department
Dr Simon Smith
Emergency Department
Location
Drought Street, Bendigo, VIC, 3550
Phone
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- Emergency Department
How to refer your patient
Referrals can be sent by e-Referral or fax. Please include all relevant, recent investigation results, medications and the reason for the referral and what further interventions you expect the Emergency Department to perform.
ED consultants welcome your referrals and being contacted by phone (and sometimes may be able to suggest a more expedient plan of action with a more appropriate service, or a plan that is kinder to the patient than a wait in ED). If you do not know the GP only Admitting Officer telephone number, please email the GP Liaison Officer: [email protected]
ED Central
ED Central is an education website for emergency medicine. An initiative of the Bendigo Hospital Emergency Department, the website supports the comprehensive medicine training programs such as the Emergency Medicine Fellowship and the Emergency Medicine Diploma and Certificate. For more information visit: www.edcentral.com.au
Mental Health Triage and Enhanced Crisis Assessment Team
Phone 1300 363 788, 24 hours a day, seven days a week
Mental Health Triage (MHT) acts as a single point of entry for all referrals into Mental Health Services and provides you with immediate telephone access to an experienced, highly skilled mental health clinician and if appropriate further referral and assessment with Enhanced Crisis Assessment Team (ECAT).
Service Overview
Bendigo Health Emergency Department provides urgent care to patients of all age groups presenting to the hospital acutely with physical and mental illnesses and injuries. It is staffed 24 hours a day by a team of emergency physicians and critical care trained nurses who specialise in the diagnosis, stabilisation and treatment of paediatric and adult emergency conditions. On arrival patients are triaged (sorted) and streamed into high dependency, acute care, short stay, paediatric and ambulatory care areas and have the opportunity to also be treated by nurse practitioners, mental health workers, care-coordinators and physiotherapists.
Every year nearly 60,000 patients attend the Emergency Department, one in five arriving by ambulance, one in six are children; however one in three will need admission to the hospital after assessment and management in the department; 75% of patients are seen and treated and either discharged home or admitted to an inpatient hospital bed within four hours.
Head of Department
Dr Simon Smith
Emergency Department
Location
Drought Street, Bendigo, VIC, 3550
