Surgical Assessment Unit (SAU)

SAU hours of availability: 07:30 – 20:00 Monday – Sunday

Referral of Surgical Conditions

• Direct line  02476 965762 or 024 7696 6996 (for GP & Health professional only)
• Email referral is currently unavailable
• Patient directed nil by mouth to Ward 12 UHCW (new)

  Patient must be given a GP referral letter to attend SAU

Please note that SAU has limited capacity for referrals and patients may be seen in A&E at certain times

Assessment

Please assess patient suitability for referral to SAU (versus ED) by consideration of of the secondary care validated NEWS scoring tool or primary care assessment of patient condition

SAU: Clinically stable   NEWS <5

ED: Clinically unstable NEWS >5 (Ambulance) Typically severe sepsis, hypotensive, tachypnoeic, hypoxic, tachycardic

 

 

Inclusion Criteria (*not exhaustive)

• Recent surgical admission- within 2 weeks
• Bariatric surgical procedure- within 6 weeks
• Previous gastric band insertion
• Abdominal pain
• Biliary Colic / cholecystitis  / pancreatitis
• Abdominal / Axillary abscess
• Lower GI bleed
• Stoma
• Surgical wound dehiscence
• Ischaemic limb
• Minor epistaxis
• Foreign body nose / ear / rectum
• Tonsillitis / Quinsy
• Otalgia / Otitis media
• Haematuria
• Kidney stones

Exclusion criteria

• Medical conditions leading to presenting complaint
• Gynaecology – PV bleeding
• Pregnancy
• End of Life Pathway
• Trauma & Orthopaedics / Plastics
• Patients requiring isolation (Diarrhoea)
• Active bleeding
• Leg abscess → Trauma & Orthopaedics
• Epiglottitis
• Stridor
• Complex Airway
• Button battery ingestion
• Urinary retention
• Suspected ruptured AAA → ED
• Suspected ureteric colic >60 year old male
• Dental pain (patient to see registered dental practitioner or emergency dental service)