SAECU’s purpose is to improve patient care by ensuring those with a potential acute surgical problem are reviewed, treated and discharged promptly by a specialist. The unit is designed for adult mobile patients who are self-caring and are well enough to make their own way to hospital. We aim to prevent any unnecessary hospital stays by seeing and treating on the same day.
Ambulatory Emergency Care services are shown to provide safe, effective and personal care for many surgical conditions. SAECU is an emergency clinic covering six specialities:
- General Surgery such as new onset of abdominal pain, abscesses and appendicitis
- Urology such as Urinary Tract Infections, urinary retention
- Vascular such as new onset of limb pain and swelling
- Maxillo-Facial problems such as facial fractures and lacerations
- ENT such as, sore throats, ear ache and infections that cannot be managed in primary care
- Trauma and Orthopaedics, minor fractures and lacerations
The clinic is Consultant led and staffed by Advanced Nurse Practitioners and Surgeons who have access to rapid diagnostic testing.
Patients are only seen in the clinic following appropriate referral from:
• Emergency Departments
• Urgent Care Centres
• Direct referral from GP or other health care professionals
The Surgical Ambulatory Emergency Care unit can be found on level 1 (ground floor) at the Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital.
- Enter the building via the main entrance
- Follow the corridor round to the left
- Continue past the lifts and the Macmillan Cancer stand
- Turn left
- Surgical Ambulatory Emergency Care Unit can be found on the left hand side of the corridor.
General enquiries
SAECU has a dedicated ward manager who is passionate about delivering safe, personal and effective care to patients attending the unit. For any general enquiries or advice about our service please telephone 01254 735144.
Opening times
The unit is open 24 hours a day 7 days a week.