Emergency Department Services

The Emergency Departments at Hospitals and Rural Health Centres throughout Western Health are operational 24 hours a day and 7 days/week.

All emergency patients are triaged upon arrival using Canadian Triage Acuity Scale (CTAS) guidelines that determine the level of urgency at which they are seen by the attending physician. The most critical patients are given the priority of care while less urgent patient may require longer waits.

At Western Memorial Regional Hospital in Corner Brook, the Emergency Department is divided into two separate areas: a Fast Track clinic and the main Emergency Department. When you arrive at the Emergency Department, you will be seen by a triage nurse who will assess whether you need to go to the main Emergency Department or the Fast Track Clinic. You will then register for the area you have been assigned. The triage nurse works from 8 a.m. to midnight Monday to Friday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends.

The Fast Track Clinic is for non urgent patients (low acuity). From Monday to Friday, the clinic is staffed with a Nurse Practitioner from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and a family practice physician from 6 p.m to 10 p.m. On weekends there is a family practice physician there from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The clinic is also supported by a full scope of practice Licensed Practical Nurse.

The main Emergency Department is staffed with an Emergency Room (ER) physician and three ER trained nurses 24 hours a day. Patients who are assessed as higher acuity or more urgent are cared for in the main Emergency Department.

For more information about visiting a patient in the Emergency Department, please click here.

Resources:

• What to expect using the Emergency Department (brochure) - PDF
• What to expect using the Emergency Department at Rural Health Centres (brochure) - PDF
• Emergency Room Services: Western Memorial Regional Hospital and Sir Thomas Roddick Hospital (handout) - PDF
• Patience Please (poster) - PDF
• These Are Emergencies (poster) - PDF