The Trust provides an Accident and Emergency service at Ysbyty Gwynedd.

The unit deals with all accidents and emergencies 24 hours a day, every day of the year. It operates what is known as the ‘Manchester triage system’, which categorises people according to their medical need:

Red - seen immediately by doctor

Orange - seen by doctor within 10 minutes

Yellow - seen by doctor within 1 hour - unless more urgent cases waiting

Green - seen when more urgent cases dealt with

Blue - not urgent - seen after everyone else

This ‘triage’ process ensures that those in most urgent need are seen first, rather than people being seen on a ‘first come first served’ basis.

The department is the designated hospital in North West Wales to receive casualties from major incidents, radiation incidents, chemical incidents and after biological accidents.

It supports the outpatient department by having a plaster room where plaster casts and other splints are applied by dedicated plaster room staff. Outside clinic times all Emergency Department nursing staff apply plaster casts.

As Ysbyty Gwynedd is close to the mountains of Snowdonia and also the sea, patients are often airlifted in by Sea King helicopters from RAF Valley’s Search and Rescue Squadron. Emergency Department nursing staff have a close working relationship with the air crews and each year spend a day training and flying with them. The Air Ambulance Service and the North Wales Police helicopter also brings casualties to the hospital.

The department deals with many critically ill patients each year and operates a Trauma Team which is designed to bring together everyone who is needed to deal with such critically ill patients. Staff attend advanced courses to equip them with specialised skills in trauma management.

The Emergency Department has a key role to play in the management of those suffering heart attacks and staff are able to give ‘clot busting’ drugs very soon after the heart attack thus improving survival rates. It has many staff able to provide advanced cardiac life support skills.

The department also takes student nurses from the School of Nursing and is able to offer them valuable experience. Students are supported by mentors and assessors whilst on the unit.

The unit is supported by a range of services including 24-hour X-ray, CT scanning, and laboratory facilities.

  Consultant Medical Staff