What is Acute Medicine?
"Acute Medicine is the hospital team that cares for adults who suddenly become unwell and need urgent tests, assessment, and treatment for an illness (rather than for an injury or needing surgery), usually during the first few days in hospital. Most people are referred to the team by their GP, a community healthcare team, or the Emergency Department."
Acute Medicine is the hospital specialty that cares for adults who become seriously unwell and need urgent assessment and treatment for an illness, usually during the first 72 hours of care.
Unlike the Emergency Department, which cares for all types of emergencies including injuries, surgical problems and mental health crises, Acute Medicine focuses on adults with serious medical illnesses who need further hospital assessment, treatment or short-stay care.
This care is provided in specialist assessment and short-stay areas, including units where patients may stay overnight and same day emergency care units, where patients are referred by the Emergency department, their GP or another clinician to be assessed, investigated and treated without staying in hospital overnight.
Acute Medicine cares for adults of all ages with many different types of serious illness, affecting different parts of the body and arising from many different causes. Its main role is in the early stage of care, when the diagnosis may still be uncertain and urgent treatment and decisions are needed. This is what makes it different from other hospital teams.
During this period, the Acute Medicine team:
Assess
we assess and
stabilise the patient
Investigate
we arrange urgent tests
and explain the results
Treat
we start
treatment
Monitor
we monitor the
patient’s progress
Decide
we work with the patient
to decide the next step
in care
For many patients, this short period of care is enough to allow safe discharge home. Others may need transfer to another specialty team or admission to a hospital ward for further treatment. Acute Medicine plays an important role in the hospital by ensuring that adults with serious illness receive timely treatment and move safely to the right place for the next stage of their care.
Often, that place is home.
How we are different
Cares for all types of emergencies including injuries, surgical problems and mental health crises.
Focus: first emergency assessment and stabilisation for every patient.
Cares for adults with serious medical illness and diagnostic uncertainty.
Focus: urgent assessment, diagnosis, treatment and decisions – usually during the first 72 hours of care.
Provide ongoing care for specific conditions or diseases.
Focus: disease- or organ-specific expert care once the diagnosis and plan are clear.
Your Acute Medicine journey
Referral
You may be referred by your GP or another clinician for same-day assessment. You may also come via the Emergency Department.
Assessment
We ask about your symptoms, examine you and arrange urgent tests. Treatment may start straight away to stabilise you.
Decision
We work with you to decide the best next step. This may include going home, short-stay care, admission to a ward or transfer to another team.
Ongoing care
If you remain under Acute Medicine, we continue tests, treatment and monitoring while your condition and response to treatment are reviewed.
If you remain under Acute Medicine
We will continue to monitor your condition, arrange further tests and provide treatment while we review how you are responding. As your condition becomes clearer, we will work with you to decide whether you can go home or need ongoing care from another hospital team.
Frequently asked questions
How we define Acute Medicine
For patients and the public
Acute Medicine is the hospital team that cares for adults who suddenly become unwell and need urgent tests, assessment, and treatment for an illness (rather than for an injury or needing surgery), usually during the first few days in hospital. Most people are referred to the team by their GP, a community healthcare team, or the Emergency Department.
For professionals and the media
Acute Medicine is the hospital specialty that provides urgent assessment, investigation and treatment for adults who suddenly become unwell with a medical illness (rather than for an injury or surgical problem), usually during the first few days of care. Most patients are referred by their GP, a community healthcare team or the Emergency Department.