Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital

It is England’s first purpose-built specialist emergency care hospital, with emergency consultants on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as well as consultants in a range of specialties working seven days a week.

The hospital treats serious emergencies such as:

Suspected stroke
Loss of consciousness
Persistent and severe chest pain
Sudden shortness of breath
Severe abdominal pain
Severe blood loss

The Northumbria hospital also has a birthing centre with midwifery and consultant-led care. It has en-suite delivery rooms, two birthing pools and en-suite bedrooms where partners are able to stay overnight.

Some planned surgery which is considered to be high-risk is also carried out at the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital as patients will be surrounded by relevant experts and support services such as critical care which may be needed in an emergency.

The Northumbria hospital has:

A state-of-the art emergency department with individual treatment rooms
Diagnostics including x-ray, MRI, ultrasound and CT scanners, endoscopy room and cardiac catheter lab – all located close to the emergency department for quick test results, enabling treatment to start earlier
A critical care unit
Beds for emergency admissions across seven specialty wards – surgery, trauma, cardiology, respiratory, stroke, gastrointestinal and an acute medical unit
A short-stay paediatric unit with paediatric ambulatory care
Ambulatory care for the rapid assessment of patients with specific conditions, without the need for emergency admission
A co-located consultant and midwifery-led birthing centre, with single en-suite rooms which allows partners to stay overnight. It will also have a special care baby unit for those babies needing extra help
Operating theatres for emergency/high risk surgery including a dedicated maternity theatre

As of Thursday, 30 June, 2022, visiting restrictions have been further eased in our hospitals, although visiting slots must still be booked in advance.

Hourly slots for visitors on all general adult wards are available between 10am and 8pm, with the last visiting slot ending at 8pm, during this hourly slot the patient can have two visitors. Please note that visitors are now interchangeable across each hourly slot and no longer need to be the same nominated person.

Due to the need for enhanced infection prevention measures, visiting will remain restricted on surgical wards, but for patients who have been in hospital for 72 hours or more, one nominated visitor will be permitted to book a slot. Those wishing to visit should check arrangements with the ward.

Patients who are in the emergency department will be able to have one interchangeable visitor with them, but this can be increased if the patient is in a critical condition.

Please don’t visit if you are feeling unwell

You must not visit if you are unwell or you have a household/close contact who is currently unwell.

Wash your hands

Please wash your hands at the hospital entrances. There are also hand-sanitising points around the hospital – please feel free to use them. Face coverings are now only required in certain circumstances and ward staff will advise.

We would like to thank all visitors for their support and cooperation at this time.

You can find options for travelling to Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in our travel leaflet here.

By car

Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital is accessible from the A189 at East Cramlington, to the north of the Moor Farm roundabout. It is signposted from the northbound and southbound slip roads closest to the hospital.

If you are travelling by car, we have produced videos to help direct you to the hospital:

If you are travelling from the A1 southbound please click for video here
If you are travelling from the A1 northbound please click for video here
If you are travelling from the A189 northbound please click for video here
If you are travelling from the A189 southbound please click for video here

Dedicated car service

If you are a relative visiting from Hexham or Berwick, we have a dedicated free daily car service to and from The Northumbria hospital which arrives for visiting times. To book transport from Hexham, call 01434 655388. To book transport from Berwick, call 01289 356664 or 07774 788627.

By public transport

For up to date bus information, please use the Traveline website

Charges

0-20mins = Free*
20mins-1 hour = £2
1-2 hours = £3
2-3 hours = £4
3-4 hours = £5
24 hours = £6

As it is pay and display, please make sure that you bring change with you and leave plenty of time to find a space.

Please take a ticket to raise the barrier to gain entry to the car park. You will then use this ticket to pay at a pay station before leaving. The payment machines take coins and notes, as well as credit and debit cards.

There are free lay-bys for pick-ups or drops offs (maximum stay 20 minutes).

Disabled parking

There are a number of designated free parking bays reserved for disabled drivers displaying a valid blue badge permit

Concessionary car parking

We offer free car parking under certain circumstances for patients or their visitors. This includes those patients attending regularly over an extended period, visitors of long-stay patients and those who are staying in the hospital with patients (for example parents with children). This list is not exhaustive and exemptions are issued by the ward or department manager – please speak to them if you think you may qualify.

Electric vehicle charging

This hospital has an electric vehicle charging point which is free to use for patients and visitors.

Car parking violations

Please note that failure to park in a designated bay or failure to pay for parking may result in you being issued with a civil penalty or infringement notice.

Cafés and restaurants

The hospital has a coffee shop at the main entrance run by our Northumbria Volunteer Service (NVS). There is also a restaurant on the ground on the floor where you get hot and cold food.

Opening times are as follows:

Restaurant (7 days a week)