Emergency Department
We deliver vital healthcare to some of the state’s most critically ill and injured adult patients.
Phone triple zero (000) in an emergency
Located on Level 2, Royal Adelaide Hospital
Do you have an emergency?
What we do
The RAH Emergency Department (ED) is one of the largest and most advanced in Australia, seeing more than 75,000 patients annually.
It is the complex medical and multi-trauma destination for the state, with senior doctors and nurses on-site around the clock to respond to life-threatening emergencies.
The ED at the RAH is one of three adult major trauma services in SA and is served by a helipad which can accommodate up to two helicopters.
Clinical services
The RAH ED is equipped to assess and treat all patients who either walk in, arrive by ambulance or are transferred from other hospitals.
While providing primarily adult emergency care, the ED also maintains facilities to deliver emergency paediatric and obstetric care if required.
In addition to supporting care for complex medical, surgical and cancer patients, the ED provides services for:
- mental health
- toxicology
- sexual assault, with a forensic privacy suite for the assessment and care of victims in conjunction with Yarrow Place
- ambulatory / same day emergency care.
We have a 13 bed short stay unit for patients who require a longer period of observation. A dedicated team of allied health professionals, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists and social workers, plus senior nurses, assess patients to rapidly determine any post-discharge support needs and explore options to help patients avoid being admitted to hospital and get care in the community or at home.
The ED provides the assessment and management of patients for onward admission to inpatient wards in the hospital, including:
- adult burns
- cancer services
- cardiology
- cardiothoracic surgery
- ENT
- general and trauma surgery
- hyperbaric medicine
- infectious diseases
- intensive care
- neurosurgery
- orthopaedics
- plastic and reconstructive surgery
- renal medicine
- thoracic medicine
- spinal injuries
- vascular surgery.
The burns, spinal and hyperbaric units are the sole referral units for South Australia and the Northern Territory.
Where to find us
The ED is on Level 2C of the RAH, adjacent with Port Road and underground car parks.
Level 2 is one level below ground floor and the main entrance of the hospital, which is on Level 3.
Follow the red signs to find us from inside the hospital, Port Road and the car parks, including drop off zones located directly outside.
Education
The ED is accredited for all stages of training with the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and has close ties with other units, including:
- Intensive Care Unit
- Trauma Surgery
- Toxicology
- Anaesthesia
- Women’s and Children’s Hospital Paediatric ED.
As a teaching hospital, the RAH ED often hosts local and international medical and nursing students, as well as Australian Defence Force secondments.
Is it an emergency?
For urgent and serious medical emergencies go to the ED or call triple zero (000) for an ambulance.
For all non-urgent medical situations, consider alternative healthcare options including bulk billed Urgent Care Clinics and GP services, 24/7 mental health services and 24 hour pharmacies, to get help.
Arrival and assessment
The ED is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The RAH ED is the ‘super-site’ for major emergencies in South Australia, such as burns, heart attacks and strokes.
Patients walking in and presenting to ED are initially assessed by a senior and experienced triage nurse, who will assess the severity of illness or injury and assign the patient to be seen in the appropriate treatment area.
Some patients may be referred to another service for their care, outside of the ED, where they will receive the same level of care with a potentially shorter waiting time.
Patients are seen and treated in order of clinical priority, not time of arrival or arrival mode.
During their ED visit, patients may require blood tests, x-rays or consultations from other services or allied health.
During this process, patients may be moved between different spaces or return to the waiting room.
Patients may be referred back to their GP for further investigation and treatment after their emergency assessment, including for arrangement of specialty or outpatient review when required.
Patients may also be referred from ED for community care including treatment in the home.
Coming to the ED
Due to limited space in waiting and consulting areas, we suggest bringing only one support person.
Patients who present with children accompanying them are required to provide supervision to children at all times due to risks related to equipment and activity in the ED.
Treating children in the ED
While the RAH ED is able to provide treatment to children, if an admission to hospital or complex care is required, children may be transferred to the Women's and Children's Hospital (WCHN).
Alternatively, emergencies involving children can present directly to WCHN, which has a dedicated ED for anyone aged up to 17 years.
Patients not require a referral to attend the ED.
The ED treats patients with conditions requiring emergency care, plus undifferentiated or complex clinical presentations.
The ED does not have 24/7 access to all investigation and services, and these are prioritised for emergency cases. Alternative pathways should be explored for non-urgent and semi-urgent cases requiring investigation or consultation.
Referring directly to inpatients
If hospitalisation is required due to the exacerbation of a known condition, or for a patient who is under the care of a RAH clinical team, they should be referred for direct admission through their treating clinician or team.
If you do not have direct contact details for the treating team, call the registrar via switchboard for the relevant service.
The Royal Adelaide Hospital intensive care unit is one of the major education and training providers for intensive care medicine in Australia and New Zealand.
Our expert clinicians and educators deliver a comprehensive accredited training program to doctors and nurses seeking advanced training in critical care.
Training in the ICU
The RAH ICU is accredited by the College of Intensive Care Medicine as a General/C24 training institution.
We are one of only two major tertiary/quaternary centres in South Australia accredited to provide:
- foundation training
- general/ core ICU training
- subspecialty training in neurosurgical ICU
- cardiac ICU and trauma care, and
- Fellowships (Transition year training).
We also routinely have rotational trainees and visiting international medical graduate trainees and specialists, who come to our unit to further develop their ICU experience and credentials.
See all current vacancies at the RAH, including the ICU.
Medical training
The ICU offers the following Fellowships (transition year training) positions:
Specialist ICU Education Fellowships
The ICU Education Fellowship coordinates the medical education training program and produces the RAH ICU Medical Education Report. The roles also facilitates attainment of post-graduate qualifications in clinical education and has ties to the ANZCEN Clinician Educator Incubator
Cardiac ICU Fellowships
The Cardiac ICU Fellowship interfaces with a robust echocardiography program that can help progress DDU and other echocardiography qualifications. They are also routinely involved in a dedicated echocardiography training course (coming soon) and an extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) training course (coming soon) that are coordinated by the department.
The Cardiac Fellow is also regularly involved with practical ultrasound and echocardiography skills training sessions that are conducted at the bedside in the ICU, as well as monthly echocardiography review meetings.
There are 6-10 Senior registrars in the trainee group who have a pivotal role in the effective running of the ICU.
Greater clinical autonomy and longitudinal responsibility of patient care allows our trainees to be charged with complex clinical tasks, lead roles in teaching, and the supervision of less experienced trainees.
All trainees are encouraged to have non-clinical interests, however Senior registrars are given opportunities to cultivate a discrete non-clinical portfolio, with many opportunities supported directly by members of the consultant group.
Some Senior registrar positions may also be allocated as Fellows (Transition Year), with education, cardiac and other specialty interest portfolios that can be negotiated, depending on the trainee.
Appointment to any of the Senior registrar positions is competitive and requires consideration of prior experience, clinical acumen and demonstration of leadership potential.
We believe that the combination of autonomy, higher level clinical tasks and support with non-clinical role development, provides our trainees with exceptional training opportunities that prepares them well to become well-rounded senior clinicians and consultants.
The designation of Senior registrar within the ICU may be independent of the CICM regulation definitions of a “Senior Registrar rotation”. Term accreditation can be discussed with Supervisors of Training prior to commencement to ensure that vocational training requirements are met.
The RAH ICU welcomes registrars and residents from a variety of levels and specialist training pathways, providing a robust training program that accounts for the breadth of specialists and experience levels of clinicians in the unit.
We have dedicated sessions for core ICU topics, evidence-based medicine (Journal Club), radiology tutorials, audit/quality improvement and review, and inter-disciplinary in-situ simulation training covering general ICU and ECMO scenarios.
Registrars and residents seeking ICU rotations are encouraged to discuss their training pathway with their supervisors of training and Medical Workforce.
Contact the ICU secretary to get access to our education program and weekly education newsletter.
Undergraduate and post-graduate medical students are frequently posted in the ICU and participate in the ICU education program, while also having a dedicated critical care training program schedule coordinated by an ICU consultant.
Seminal paper presentations
From 2024, we are providing up to date links to all seminal paper presentations for all ICU staff on Google Drive.
Nursing training
Nursing Education in the RAH ICU offers progressive, contemporary learning opportunities for the development of all levels of nursing staff. The team is located within the ICU, developing a close understanding of the development needs of individual nursing staff.
The Nurse Education Team consists of two Nurse Educators (RN3) and four Clinical Nurse Educators (CNE RN2 job share).
Induction into working within the RAH ICU for new nursing staff is developed and delivered by the Nurse Educators.
New nursing staff to RAH participate in Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN) orientation and this is followed by a two-week ICU induction period.
The ICU induction consists of a dedicated ICU induction day, supernumerary patient care shifts, specific education sessions, workshops and supported clinical learning at the patient bedside.
The induction also introduces current patient data and workforce structure, addressing the National Safety & Quality Health Service Standards, fundamentals of care and foundations of intensive care nursing, ensuring new staff have the knowledge and skill set to be work ready.
Professional development pathways are designed to provide a structure for staff development.
Read more about the pathways in place for the nursing team:
Transition to Professional Practice Program Pathway
Each year we welcome a large cohort of graduate registered nurses in their first year of nursing undertaking the Transition to Professional Practice Program. They have a six-month placement in ICU with supported education and training
Registered Nurse Professional Development Pathway
This pathway is designed with learning activities which support developing clinical practice and preparedness for postgraduate specialisation studies
Critical Care Registered Nurse Pathway
The Critical Care Registered Nurse pathway supports postgraduate qualified registered nurses with development to extend their clinical and professional practice, leading into advanced roles such as Access Nurse (Team Leader) and Medical Emergency Response Team member.
In-service education program
The in-service education program is delivered Monday to Friday, during nursing double staff time.
There are several sessions each day addressing the learning needs of the whole team, junior and senior staff. The format includes traditional lecture style, case presentations, skills stations, and clinical deterioration simulation scenarios.
Professional Development Programs
There are many professional development programs for staff in ICU and Central Education.
Programs delivered by the nursing and multidisciplinary team include renal dialysis, ECMO and Cardiac ALS.
For more information, contact nurse educators:
Natalie Vinzcer
Email: natalie.vinzcer@sa.gov.au
Gigy Cherian
Email: gigy.cherian@sa.gov.au
At RAH ICU we partner with all three South Australian universities - The University of Adelaide, Flinders University and the University of South Australia - for postgraduate studies in critical care/intensive care nursing.
Currently, over 60% of RAH ICU nursing staff have postgraduate nursing qualifications in critical care nursing.
Completion of postgraduate critical care nursing studies leads to high acuity patient allocation and development into advanced nursing roles within ICU.
Undergraduate student placements
RAH ICU facilitates many pre-registration final year nursing student placements each year. The students are supported by a local ICU experienced clinical facilitator.
ICU placement provision
RAH ICU nursing education facilitates placements for registered nurses from a variety of metropolitan and regional health service organisations and international nurses, seeking intensive care unit exposure.
Courses
There are several courses conducted in South Australia that support intensive care skills training and contribute to continuing professional development. Numerous members of staff at the Royal Adelaide Hospital ICU serve in faculty positions including as convenors, course directors and instructors.
Most courses are reliant on cross-campus support across health networks and training sites. The collaborative delivery of courses is a key strength, ensuring attendees are exposed to a wide range of instructors with broad and extensive experience.
The courses listed are open to attendees across the State and Nationally, with increasingly high demand.
Richard Strickland - course co-ordinator
Nick Edwards - Course director
Mike Davies - course convenor
Kenneth Lee - course convenor
Contact for information and to register for this course.
Email: Kenneth.Lee@sa.gov.au
Michael Farquharson - Course director
Course information coming soon.
Amy Sanguesa - course convenor
Contact for information and to register for SAILS sessions.
Email: Amy.Sanguesa@sa.gov.au
The RAH ICU is renowned nationally for its leadership in ICU research, which includes supporting new investigators and spearheading international trials.
Projects cover a wide range, from trainee-led initiatives to multidisciplinary collaborations, with engagement in translational research and support for higher degree programs.
We have strong academic ties with institutions like the University of Adelaide and NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Translating Nutritional Science to Good Health.