The States of Guernsey Emergency Department (ED) - also known as accident and emergency or casualty - offers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year emergency care for patients.
Calling for Emergency Assistance: You can call an emergency ambulance by dialling either 999 or 112. The ambulance will bring you to the ED department of the Princess Elizabeth Hospital. Call 01481 220000 and request 'Emergency Department' for any queries about the charges for your attendance with the Emergency Department.
What is the ED?
- Guernsey's Emergency Department is a small, busy department, treating 19,000 patients per annum from Guernsey, Alderney, Sark and Herm, with demand increasing during the holiday period due to tourists requiring treatment.
- The Emergency Department is managed by ED Consultants who work alongside specialist trained Doctors, nurses, radiographers, healthcare assistants, reception team, porters and other Health and Social Care colleagues throughout the service.
What happens in the ED?
- You will be assessed/triaged on arrival and staff will make a decision on the most appropriate treatment.
- Once you have been seen and treated by a member of staff you may need to be referred to a Medical Specialist Group consultant for secondary healthcare and you may be admitted into hospital for further treatment or investigations. You may be well enough to go home, but will need further treatment from a GP, or as an outpatient in the most appropriate clinic.
Secondary Healthcare in Guernsey
- The Medical Specialist Group (MSG) in Guernsey is contracted by the States of Guernsey to provide secondary healthcare for the Bailiwick. Some of the specialist doctors who see patients and give medical care in the hospital are employed directly by the States of Guernsey.
I am a visitor to Guernsey
- Whether travelling to or from the islands it is important to be aware of the need for healthcare insurance. More details can be found here.
How do I pay?
- You can pay for your treatment within the Emergency Department.
- Upon discharge from the ED following your treatment, if you are responsible for your medical expenses, you can pay by any credit/debit card (excluding AMEX). Unfortunately the ED cannot accept cheques or cash.
- For children's Emergency Department consultations, payment will be required at the time of their consultation, regardless of whether or not they have medical insurance. Those on income support will continue to have their attendance and consultation funded by Employment & Social Security and, therefore, will not need to pay for their consultation at the time.
- All visitors and non-local residents attending the ED are asked to pay upon discharge.
- For patients qualifying for Income Support, please advise the ED Receptionist on your arrival.
- If you have private health insurance, we can send an invoice directly to you health insurer, however please note you will need to provide not only the name of your insurer but your membership and scheme number. Please ask for a private patient details form which you will need to complete and return to the ED reception for your details to be recorded prior to forwarding your account to your insurer.
- For these instances, we can invoice you or your health insurance direct, or claim on your behalf directly to the Social Security Department.
- If you are a visitor from a non-bilateral health jurisdiction, you will be required to pay for your ED attendances at the time of treatment. We can provide detailed receipts for this purpose so that travel insurances claims can be made when you are back home.
- Countries where reciprocal health agreements exist:
- Australia
- Austria
- Iceland
- Jersey
- New Zealand
- Portugal
- Sweden
- At the point of treatment, once you have been discharged by the doctor, our Reception Team will be able to take payment for your episode of care and provide you with a receipt which you can use to claim the costs back from your insurance provider/travel insurance provider.
- If you are attending the ED following an accident at work, you need to ensure that when you see the doctor within the ED that you request a medical certificate. Please refer to our attached patient leaflet,
Accident at Work [231kb]
- For accidents at public schools, parents/guardians are responsible for the payment of invoices incurred for the attendance at the ED. If you wish to seek Education Department support for payment, please contact the school directly where you will be asked to complete an accident report form.
- The Education Department will not pay accident at school costs for children who are fee payers attending private schools; they will only reimburse costs for scholarship pupils.
How are the charges calculated?
- The current charges levied in the ED can be found here.
Health subsidies for children
- Children resident in Guernsey and Alderney are now entitled to certain health subsidies up to their 18th birthday, funded by the redistribution of family allowance.
- Children visiting the Emergency Department will only be required to pay £25 regardless of the subsequent treatment required. As part of this change, payment will be required at the time of their consultation, regardless of whether or not they have medical insurance. Those on income support will continue to have their attendance and consultation funded by Employment & Social Security and, therefore, will not need to pay for their consultation at the time.
- More information is available here.
St John Emergency Ambulance Service
- The St John Emergency Ambulance Service is a charitable company, which operates Guernsey's only ambulance service. It operates 24 hours a day, providing accident and emergency cover and paramedic response - as well as a non-emergency patient transport service. There is a charge for calling an ambulance but members of the Ambulance Subscription Scheme are not charged, regardless of the number of emergency responses, diagnosis, treatment or transfers that they need by St Johns Ambulance.
Alderney ED Services
- In Alderney ED services are provided in the Mignot Memorial Hospital.
- You can contact the hospital in Alderney direct on 01481 824415.
Medical Insurance Cover
- The Emergency Department will, if supplied with full details of your membership, submit your Emergency Department Invoice directly to your Medical Insurer*. Details can be submitted to the Emergency Department by completion of the form in the downloads section of this page which should be emailed to the address indicated. If you have a family membership, the details of all members can be inserted on one form.
- Please note that if we do not have details of your medical insurer on file when you attend or with 5 days from your date of attendance, invoices will be sent directly to the patient for personal submission to an insurer.
- It should be noted that whilst we may submit a request for payment to your medical insurer, charges incurred whilst attending the department are ultimately the responsibility of the patient, therefore if your medical insurer either:
- Refuses to pay
- Rejects the claim based on your policy exceptions and cover limits
- Only pays part of the invoice, leaving a balance owing
- Does not process the claim within a satisfactory period i.e. not more than 90 days in total from the date of the date of invoice
- The Emergency Department will revert back to the patient for immediate payment of any or all of the outstanding balance.
- *The Emergency Department reserve the right to discontinue submission of invoices directly to insurance companies if they so wish.
