How will I be referred?
If you have a gynaecological or early pregnancy condition you may be referred via:
- Your GP
- An Urgent Care Centre
- From another specialty (hospital department)
- Emergency Department (A&E)
Self referral
The gynaecology unit does not take self-referrals (referrals directly from the patient). We only take self-referrals from patients who have had a molar or an ectopic pregnancy in the past, or if you have a history of recurrent miscarriage (three previous consecutive first trimester miscarriages).
Referral criteria
This unit is for patients with emergency gynaecological problems who need to be seen immediately. Please see referrals to GATU for our referral criteria.
If your symptoms are not severe or are long-standing your referring clinician will either be offered advice and guidance on how to help treat you or be advised to refer you to our routine gynaecology clinic for on going care and investigations of your symptoms.
Attending the GATU clinic
You will be offered an attendance time to attend the unit for review. Please note this is not an appointment time, although we will aim to see you as soon as we can when you arrive.
Our doctors and trained nurses aim to see you within four hours of your arrival. However, emergency patients who require immediate medical care are treated by the same staff and this can cause delays. If you need investigations you may need to wait for the results. We will keep you informed of how long you can expect to wait to be seen.
What happens at the unit?
On arrival please report to the reception where you will be asked to complete a form with your personal details.
Our staff are unable to supervise children while you are being cared for so if brought to hospital, they must remain outside the unit with a suitable guardian.
Shortly after your arrival you will then be seen by a healthcare assistant or nurse for a check of your blood pressure, temperature and other basic observations. You will be asked to provide a urine sample.
Your consultation will be with one of our on-call gynaecology doctors or specialist nurses. They will assess you and plan any investigations that you need. This may include vaginal swabs, blood and urine tests. An ultrasound scan will be requested and performed only if required.
What happens after your consultation?
The on call doctor or specialist nurse may decide on one of the following:
- You are medically fit and able to go home
- You can go home but will be contacted by the unit with results of certain investigations
- You need a follow up in the unit to assess your symptoms or to get specific investigation results back
- You are referred back to your GP or to another specialty in hospital
- You require admission to the gynaecology ward for observation, investigation and treatment
- You are referred to a gynaecology clinic once you go home for on going care
Discharge from the unit
After you have been discharged your GP will be informed of your visit to our unit as part of your care unless you request otherwise.
Location and opening times
We are located on Ward J24a on the 2nd floor, Chancellor Wing, St James’s Hospital.
For directions please see: Ward J24 – St James’s Hospital | AccessAble