After Hours and Emergency Departments

In an emergency call 111 and ask for an ambulance 

Our Emergency Departments (ED) at North Shore and Waitākere hospitals are very busy.

Please help us keep our ED free for emergencies. If your condition is not life or limb threatening, you may face a longer wait time while we tend to emergency cases.

 If you are unwell but it's not an emergency please visit your GP, local accident and emergency clinic or after-hours centre.

If you're unsure if your reason for visiting ED is an emergency, you can call Healthline on 0800 611 116 for free advice.

What is the Emergency Department (ED)?

• Where people of all ages with acute and emergency health problems are assessed and treated
• Open for care 24 hours 7 days a week
• Most people presenting to ED as acute patients and have not seen their GP before coming to hospital
• People presenting to the ED are usually seen initially by the Triage nurse
• Patients are then assessed and treated by the Emergency Medicine doctors and nurses
• Patients are then either discharged or referred to other services for admission or further investigation and treatment
• Patients referred to hospital by a GP or Primary Care provider will be directed to the ADU or if they have a more serious illness to the ED by the Triage nurse
• Other specialty services with doctors working in the ED include:
  • General Medicine
  • General Surgery
  • Orthopaedics
  • Obstetrics & Gynaecology
  • Paediatrics
  • Mental Health

What is Triage?

• All patients presenting to the ED are triaged by a senior nurse according to the Australasian Triage Scale (ATS)
• The nurse determines the nature and severity of the illness or injury
• On the basis of this assessment, those with more severe symptoms or injuries are treated before those with less serious conditions

View information more information about:

• North Shore Hospital Emergency Department
• Waitakere Hospital Emergency Department