Queen Elizabeth A&E is extremely busy

Advice and Information - 17 February 2022

Patients may experience a longer wait than usual for the Emergency Departments (A&Es) at Queen Elizabeth Hospital and University Hospital Lewisham.

Call 111 first

Please call 111 before you go to A&E for any non-life threatening emergency. They will be able to book you into an A&E timeslot where appropriate.

NHS 111 can help if you need urgent medical help or you're not sure what to do. They will ask questions about your symptoms so you get the help you need.

If you need to go to A&E, NHS 111 will book an arrival time. This might mean you spend less time in A&E. This also helps with social distancing.  

You can get help from 111.nhs.uk or call 111. It's available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

An A&E department (also known as emergency department or casualty) deals with genuine life-threatening emergencies, such as:

  • loss of consciousness
  • acute confused state and fits that are not stopping
  • chest pain
  • breathing difficulties
  • severe bleeding that cannot be stopped
  • severe allergic reactions
  • severe burns or scalds
  • stroke
  • major trauma such as a road traffic accident

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