Emergency Department

The Emergency (ED) Department at Sengkang General Hospital provides 24-hour service for trauma and non-trauma surgical and medical emergencies. We have a multi-disciplinary Emergency Care team to oversee and manage acute emergencies, providing patients with treatment at the specialist level. Our team of Emergency Medicine specialists are experienced and well-equipped to provide emergency care to anyone seeking emergency medical help.

When Do I Need To Visit The ED?

Our 24-hour one-stop ED handles the following emergencies:

General Emergencies: Our Emergency Department assesses and treats patients with general medical and surgical emergencies.
Cardiac Emergencies (Selected Conditions): We provide basic care for all cardiovascular emergencies including physical examination, ECG, X-ray, blood investigation and basic supportive treatment.
Neurological Emergencies (Selected conditions): Patients presenting with acute stroke symptoms in less than 6 hours will be stabilised in SKH ED and transferred to NNI (TTSH).
ENT Emergencies: We diagnose and treat a variety of common ENT emergencies: (nosebleeds, foreign body throat etc).
Eye Emergencies (selected conditions).
Trauma and Orthopaedic Emergencies: We provide medical treatment for accident patients with major trauma. This includes resuscitation and other basic trauma treatment procedures such as suturing, basic care of wounds and setting of simple fractures and dislocations.
Surgical Emergencies: We can carry out minor surgical procedures such as toilet and suture of wounds sustained during trauma e.g. fall, cut by sharp objects, etc.
Paediatric Emergencies (Selected conditions): We provides initial evaluation, stabilisation and treatment to acutely ill or injured infants and children. Our paediatricians are stationed at KKH . Usually before sending young patients over, we will stabilise their condition first.

Not sure if you should visit the ED? Visit your family doctor or neighbourhood general practitioner (GP) if:

You are feeling unwell. Your family doctor will be able to assess if you require a visit to the ED.
You have symptoms suggestive of common medical conditions such as colds, small cuts, abdominal pain, headache etc.
You feel it is not an emergency.

What To Bring?

Please bring along your Identity Card, Work Permit, foreigner pass or passport if possible. For patients who do not have these documents with them when they visit the Emergency Department, treatment will proceed and family members are advised to bring their documents as soon as possible.

Waiting Time

On arrival, your symptoms will be assessed by an experienced emergency nurse and triaged in order of priority. Priority of care is not based on the time of arrival. This is done by a process called triage (meaning "to sort") and based on the severity or potential severity of the patient's condition that could worsen if not treated early.

In the provision of acute and emergency care, the team constantly strive to provide timely, appropriate and safe care in accordance with the national standards and best practices in healthcare delivery. Patients of all age groups will be assessed and treated at the emergency department. This includes patients who walk in on their own or are conveyed by ambulance service. All patients are prioritised according to the severity of their conditions and stabilised with the appropriate treatment. If your condition has been assessed to be life-threatening or critically ill, you will be attended to earlier.

The waiting time depends on various factors including the seriousness of a patient's medical condition and the number of patients waiting to be treated. If a patient's condition has been assessed to be serious at triage, they will be attended to earlier. If you fall under the non-emergency group, please be advised that you may have to wait an average of more than 4 hours to be attended to by a doctor. If you require urgent but non-emergency medical attention, you are strongly advised to visit your GP or a nearby medical care facility for initial assessment.

Frequently-Asked Questions for Next-of-Kin

1) What can patients expect in the Emergency Department?

Upon arrival, patients will be registered, screened, and triaged to the respective consultation areas based on the severity of their condition. Those with fever and/or respiratory symptoms will also be segregated from the others.

Priority will be given to those with potentially life-threatening or medically urgent conditions. As such, patients with less acute conditions will experience a longer waiting time.

Our attending doctor may also order further tests. An average of 3 - 6 hours wait may be expected for the finalized test results to be out and for the doctor to review and decide if the patient needs to be admitted to the hospital or can be discharged.

(Please refer to Q10 for what to expect when the patient needs to be admitted to the hospital.)

2) Can I visit the patient in the Emergency Department?

If your loved one is independent and communicative, we do not encourage you to visit or wait in the Emergency Department as visitors may themselves be potential contacts or expose themselves to unnecessary risks in the Emergency Department. This is to avoid overcrowding at our Emergency Department too. We would encourage you to wait at home while maintaining contact with the patient via his/her mobile phone.

If necessary, patients are allowed 1 accompanying next of kin (NOK) in our Emergency Department, except for patients in the isolation area.

3) How can I receive updates about the patient?

Patients will be updated on their condition after their assessment at the Emergency Department. You may call the patient directly via his/her mobile phone to get an update.

If the patient has given consent, the patient’s registered point of contact (POC) will be updated by the medical team should there be any changes in the patient’s condition.

4) Can I request to speak to the attending doctor/nurse over the phone regarding the patient’s condition?

We seek your understanding that our medical team is focusing on delivering care and treatment to patients and will only update the POC on the patient’s condition should there be any changes in the patient’s condition.

Patients will be updated on their condition after their assessment at the Emergency Department and we will advise patients to keep their families updated as well. You may contact the patient directly via his/her mobile phone.

5) Can I contact the patient while they are in the Emergency Department?

Yes, you may contact the patient directly via his/her mobile phone. If the patient did not bring his/her mobile phone or charger, you may bring it down and pass it to the patient at their bedside in the Emergency Department or pass it to the nurses or staff at the Emergency Department’s screening station or counter. For patients in isolation, you may pass the phone to the nurses or staff at the Emergency Department’s screening station or counter.

6) Do I need to wait in the Emergency Department for the patient’s entire visit?

We understand that you are worried about your loved one. As visitors may themselves be potential contacts or expose themselves to unnecessary risks in the Emergency Department, we do not encourage you to wait in the Emergency Department. This is to avoid overcrowding at our Emergency Department too.

We would encourage you to wait at home while maintaining contact with the patient via his/her mobile phone or wait at the food court or café (if they are open). While we know that this may be difficult for you, we seek your understanding and cooperation during this period.

7) Will patients be provided with food in the Emergency Department?

Patients in the observation area can request for light refreshments and hot beverages if they are not on any eating or drinking restrictions.

For patients waiting for admission, meals will be provided at these intervals, beyond which they may request for light refreshments and hot beverages:

Breakfast: 7.45am – 9am
Lunch: 11.45am – 1pm
Dinner: 5.45pm – 7pm

8) Can I pass some items to the patient in Emergency Department?

Yes, you may pass items such as phone, charger and power bank, etc. to the patient at their bedside (if the patient is not in isolation) or to the staff or nurses at the Emergency Department’s screening station or counter. However, we strongly discourage our patients from holding on to valuables in case they are misplaced.

9) The patient has additional needs (e.g. dementia/non-communicative/requires tube feeding etc.). Will the patient be taken care of?

Yes. If the patient has special needs, please inform our nurses at the Emergency Department. They will take note to provide the necessary care to the patient.

If necessary, patients are allowed 1 accompanying NOK in our Emergency Department, except for patients in the isolation area.

10) The patient will be admitted to the ward. What can I expect?

A long waiting time for a bed is expected and we are unable to share the estimated waiting time as it is dependent on bed availability. Once the patient has been transferred to the ward, we will SMS the patient’s POC the ward, room and bed details. You may wish to return home to wait for the SMS. In the meantime, the POC may be contacted for financial counselling regarding the patient’s choice of ward type and charges.

11) The patient will be discharged from the Emergency Department/Extended Diagnostic Treatment Unit (EDTU). Is there anything I should take note of?

If the patient is discharged from the Emergency Department, the medical team will prepare the discharge documents and plans for follow-up care.

If the patient is discharged from the Extended Diagnostic Treatment Unit (EDTU), our nurse will call the POC to inform of the patient’s pending discharge where necessary.

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