Surgery at SJH
SJH Emergency Medicine
What's new / Latest updates
2023-11-13: New page - moved from old guidelines and updated
There are no "general surgery" services within NHS Lothian, instead services are provided by multiple surgical specialties. The only in-patient surgical services present at SJH are:
- Ear, nose and throat (ENT)
- Gynaecology
- Maxillofacial
- Obstetrics
- Plastic surgery (including burns)
Within other NHS Lothian acute hospitals the following other adult specialties are available:
- Cardiothoracics (RIE)
- Colorectal (WGH)
- Neurosurgery (RIE DCN)
- Transplant (RIE)
- Upper GI surgery (RIE)
- Urology (WGH)
- Vascular (RIE)
SJH does have consultant upper GI and colorectal surgeons attending for elective theatre lists during the week. They are available to review patients presenting with relevant surgical issues (including abdominal pain) in the ED: this occurs twice daily on weekdays at around 8am and 4pm (note on Fridays this service stops at midday). The surgical team also reviews patients referred to them (via the surgical NPs) by local GPs or ED staff who have felt the patient is well enough to be ambulated home.
Conditions seen by this surgical team include undifferentiated abdominal pain and abscesses, where the GP is not sure that the patient needs to be admitted but would like a surgical opinion/investigation. If these patients need to be admitted overnight they are usually transferred to another acute facility, as there are no "abdominal" surgical doctors present on the SJH site in the out of hours period.
The SJH ED can refer these patients to the surgical team during weekdays, in-hours:. However please note there can be a delay in these patients being reviewed - if a patient is referred, they should be discussed with a senior doctor first in-case other interventions can be performed to prevent unnecessary delays for the patient.
Consultant surgical on call cover for St John’s is accessed via the consultant surgeon O/C at the WGH who would liaise with colleagues at RIE as to the best management including who would be best to attend St John’s should that be necessary. [Note check that this is still true]