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Riccarton Clinic's clinicians are highly trained and experienced in urgent care medicine but occasionally a patient may present with a condition that is best dealt with in hospital. For these patients we try to stabilise their condition, if possible, and prepare them for hospital admission whilst they await collection by St John.
In the first few minutes of a medical or injury incident it can be unclear whether the patient is better off going straight to hospital or whether they can safely be treated at an urgent care facility. Such patients may be brought here by car or ambulance only to learn that their condition is serious enough to be appropriately managed in a hospital setting.
Other patients may attend an urgent care facility and have their condition worsen rapidly, necessitating transfer to hospital.
In these circumstances the patient will be stabilised, if possible, in our Resus Room where we have piped oxygen, an ecg, a defibrillator and other urgent care medical equipment. St John will be called to attend and guidance will be given to them on the urgency of the collection.
When appropriate, the patient will not be taken to the Emergency Department but be taken directly to Intensive Care, having been prepared by our clinicians.
In all cases, notes and observations made at Riccarton Clinic will be forwarded to the hospital to assist the clinical team.