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

if you do not have a serious emergency, but need urgent attention, you may be seen quicker at one of our urgent treatment centres. More information is available here.

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

Our approach to person-centred visiting

Person-centred visiting means we will work together with our patients, their loved ones, and our staff. We follow these principles:

Welcoming – We welcome and encourage the involvement of the people who matter to our patients.
Patient-led – We are guided by our patients. They can decide when the people who matter will visit and how they would like them involved in their care. We also note when they want to have some rest.
Partnership – We work in partnership with the people who matter to our patients.
Flexibility – Visiting hours are between 10am and 8pm. We are happy to be flexible if any visits need to take place outside of these hours.
Respect – We respect people’s individual needs. We will act on an individual basis to ensure the safety, privacy, and dignity of all patients. This means there may be times when we need to ask people to leave a clinical area temporarily.

Approach

Our visiting hours are between 10am and 8pm daily.

We ask that there are no more than 2 visitors at a time. These visitors can change.

Please speak to the nurse in charge if you have any concerns.

For more information, see our visiting guidance 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

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. If these bays are full, disabled drivers can park free of charge in the visitor car park. Upon entrance, press the intercom button on the barrier and let the team know the designated bays are full. You will also need to do this when you exit.

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.

We are proud to be part of the Active Hospitals programme. This means we encourage patients and staff to be physically active. If you feel able to, why not walk or cycle to your appointment? Not only will it improve your health, it also helps our planet. The maps below can help.

We have public bike storage areas at these sites:

North Tyneside General Hospital - Diabetes Resource Centre entrance
North Tyneside General Hospital - Alley to left of Urgent Treatment Centre entrance
North Tyneside General Hospital - Right of main entrance doors
Northumbria hospital, Cramlington - Between visitor car park and bus stop

Go Smarter, Go Active maps

PLEASE NOTE: Details in these maps are based on the latest information available at the time of publication. While every effort has been made by Transport North East to make sure they are correct, we cannot accept any liability resulting from omissions or inaccuracies.

There could be works or closures on particular routes. We advise that you check with the relevant local authority before setting off on your journey.

If you don't feel able to walk or cycle to your appointment, but would like a more sustainable way to travel, please consider using public transport. You can plan your journey here.

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)