The Emergency Observation Unit is an extension of the Emergency Department and is part of the Emergency Services Division of Northern Health.
The Emergency Observation Unit is a 28-bed ward that admits patients with an expected length of stay between 4 – 24 hours. Th ward comprises of 14 Emergency Observation Unit 1 (EOU1) beds and 14 Emergency Observation Unit 2 (EOU2) beds. EOU1 is for shorter admissions up to 24 hours and is staffed by the Emergency physician. EOU2 is for more complex patients that require a length of stay up to 36 hours and is staffed by the general medical consultants.
What to expect from the service?
The Emergency Observation Unit operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is located on the ground floor of the Northern Hospital – Epping campus. There are 2 single rooms for patients requiring isolation and 6 single rooms with shared bathrooms. It primarily cares for patients with low-complexity complaints, with the goal of facilitating rapid discharge back to the community. The Emergency Observation Unit team is a highly functioning, dynamic, and adaptable workforce, united by a common goal: to collaborate effectively and deliver timely, safe, and high-quality care to our patients. Some examples of the common patients we see are gastroenteritis, tonsillitis, pyelonephritis, back pain, exacerbation of heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cellulitis