We provide 24-hour emergency services led by a multi-disciplinary team to treat a comprehensive range of patient conditions seen in our Emergency Department (ED), including traumatic and non-traumatic cases, as well as surgical and medical emergencies.
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Our priority is to attend to patients with life-threatening emergencies and illnesses. If your condition is not an emergency, please seek medical attention at the nearest General Practitioner (GP) or polyclinic. If you are unsure, please call the NurseFirst helpline​ (6262 6262) at no charge, for advice.
 

We provide emergency care for the following:​​​​

• General Emergencies

We assess and provide treatment for a wide range of medical and surgical emergencies.​

• ​Cardiac Emergencies

We provide care for all cardiovascular emergencies (such as heart failure, chest pain and heart attacks).

• Neurological Emergencies

We provide initial care for such conditions as strokes, seizures, headaches.

• ENT Emergencies

We diagnose and treat a variety of common ENT emergencies such as nosebleeds, foreign body of the throat etc.

• Eye Emergencies

We treat a variety of common Eye emergencies such as foreign body of the eye, chemical injury to the eye, and acute glaucoma.

• Trauma and Orthopaedic Emergencies

We provide medical treatment for accident patients with major trauma. Our services include basic trauma treatment procedures such as suturing, basic care of wounds and setting of simple fractures and dislocations.​

• Surgical Emergencies

We perform minor surgical procedures, such as cleaning and suturing wounds sustained from trauma, such as falls or cuts by sharp objects.​

• Paediatric Emergencies

Please be informed that WH does not have inpatient paediatric facilities. Patients under 16 years old may be transferred to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) or the NUH (NUH) Children’s Emergency (CE) for further treatment and investigation. Alternatively, you have the option to bring your child directly to KKH, NUH CE or the NUH Urgent Care Clinic at Bukit Panjang (1400 hrs to 2000 hrs daily) if you prefer.​

• Toxicological Emergencies

We provide emergency care for patients with acute poisoning.

• Pandemic / Emergency Preparedness

Our Emergency Medicine team ​liaises closely with the Ministry of Health to coordinate pandemic and emergency workflows.

• ​Infectious Disease Management

We provide care and treatment of patients with contagious diseases.​

Your visit to the ED starts with Registration and Triage. At the ED, our primary objective is to optimise patient care based on individual needs. Priority is accorded to patients with life-threatening illnesses and injuries.

In the triage area, our nurses will gather your medical history in brief ​and record your vital signs, including temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration.

Subsequently, you will be categorised into one of four groups, aligning with the Ministry of Health Patient Acuity Category system.​

Patient Acuity Category

​​PAC 1: Critically ill patients - these patients are at risk of imminent collapse. Examples include patients with heart attack, stroke, major trauma

PAC 2: Major emergency - Although they appear stable on initial examination and are not in danger of imminent collapse, the severity of their symptoms requires very early attention, failing which early deterioration of their medical status may occur. Examples include patients with major limb fracture/dislocation, severe back or abdominal pain

PAC 3: Minor emergency - these patients have mild to moderate symptoms and may require early treatment. Examples include patients with foreign bodies in ear/nose/throat, sprains, insect stings

PAC 4: Non-emergency Examples include conditions that has been present for a long time

Patients with minor illnesses and injuries are directed to our Minor Injuries and Illnesses Unit (MIIU), situated above the ED. This segregation optimises our resource allocation, enabling tailored care packages that precisely address patient needs.

We prioritise patients based on the severity of their condition, recognising the needs of those who are more seriously ill.

After initial evaluation and treatment, your condition may necessitate observation to determine if further admission is required. Our team collaborates with various medical specialties and allied healthcare providers to ensure comprehensive care. If specialised care beyond our scope is necessary, we may facilitate transfer to our partner institutions for optimised treatment.

Continuously striving to enhance care, WH offers diverse options for ongoing treatment, including observation in our 24-hour unit, home care by our medical team, or discharge with follow-up at a specialist outpatient clinic or polyclinic.

Your physician will discuss the most suitable options for your continued care.

Discharge

If you have been discharged, you will be given the following discharge documents if applicable:

• Medical certificate

• Prescription

• Referral letter(s)

• Discharge advice pamphlet

Admission 

If you have been admitted, our colleagues at the Admissions Counter will guide you through the admission process.​<

After-visit Summary 

Please check your NHG Health app​ for an after-visit summary (AVS) of your ED visit.

​The AVS consists of:

• Date/Time of Visit and Discharge

• Diagnosis

• Referral Orders made

• Snapshot of Vitals (BP/Temperature/Pulse)

• Medical Certificate Ordered

• ​Lab/Imaging/Procedure/Medication Ordered

If you do not have access to the NHG Health App or require a hard copy, please head down to our Patient Services Centre​ (PSC) located at T​ower B, Basement 1, for further assistance.

Charges

View charges for our emergency services on Charges & Payments. Charges includes basic investigations and services. However, specialised emergency investigations and services will be billed separately.

Appointment

If you have not received your appointment details within three working days, please call our appointment hotline at 6363 8000.​