Emergency Department
Hanover & District Hospital’s Emergency Department is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with a physician on-site. HDH has been experiencing higher volumes and wait times in the Emergency Department. As always please continue to be kind and patient while visiting the hospital. (Wait Times in Ontario) The triage system ensures that all patients will be seen by a nurse within 15 minutes of arrival. Our fully qualified emergency physicians and nurses proudly provide emergency services to over 17,000 patient per year.
When Should I go to the Emergency Department?
The Emergency Departments focus is to provide emergency medical care. Don’t hesitate to visit the Emergency Department or call 911 if you are experiencing;
- Chest pain;
- Difficulty breathing, unexpected heavy breathing or shortness of breath;
- Severe bleeding or head trauma;
- Sudden onset of weakness, dizziness;
- Loss of consciousness;
- Severe abdominal pain;
- Injuries to eyes, hands, ears;
- Sudden change in speech or vision;
- Broken bones;
- Major sprains;
- Children experiencing a persistent fever (>38.5°C/100.4°F), persistent vomiting/diarrhea or will not eat or drink (particularly young children)
- For minor health problems (e.g. coughs, colds, sore throats, rashes, prescription renewals) call your family doctor or nurse practitioner first. If you do not have a family doctor;
- Finding A Family Physician - Health Care Connect is a program available from the Ministry of Health to help Ontarians without a family healthcare provider to be linked with a physician or nurse practitioner. To register for this program or for more information visit, healthcareconnect or call 1-800-445-1822.
- Call Telehealth at 1-866-797-0000 or, Telephone Health Advisory Service (THAS) at 1-866-553-7205 for advice.
- If you do need emergency care, please come prepared with:
- Your Ontario Health Card;
- A list of any allergies to medication; and
- A supply of any medication you are taking in case you are admitted.
What to Expect in the Emergency Department?
Where you arrive by ambulance or on your own a triage nurse will ask you several questions and perform a few simple procedures to assess your condition. This will help decide how urgently you need to be seen by a doctor. This process is known as Triage. Patients are treated based on how urgent their health care needs are. Once the triage assessment is complete, registration will take place and, based on several factors, you will be directed to either a treatment room or the waiting area. Although Hanover & District Hospital has shorter wait times in comparison to provincial averages please be prepared to wait. Emergency care is not provided on a first-come first-served basis. Your wait time will depend on:
- How urgently you need care;
- How urgently others in the Emergency Department need care, including those who arrive by ambulance;
- How busy the Emergency Department is when you arrive; and
- Once you have been assessed it may be necessary for you to have further tests that will require you to wait (e.g. X-rays or blood tests).
If your condition worsens while you are waiting, please advise the triage nurse.
Our staff is committed to providing quality, patient centered care to all of our patients – Our patients are our priority!