Admissions
What is a Senior House Officer (SHO)? If you are navigating the UK healthcare system, you will likely encounter the term SHO, or Senior House Officer. While the medical profession has officially move...
What is a urologist – and what do they do? Urologists are a type of hospital-based surgeon. They are experts in the surgical treatment (including operations) of diseases of the urinary tract, in...
How to Get Seen More Quickly in A&E This is a common question—and an understandable one—but it’s also a difficult topic. There is no guaranteed or ethical way to be fast-tracked in Accident & ...
Can I leave hospital whenever I like? Sure. Its not a prison and you can leave at any time. If you do, and it is against the advice of the doctors and nurses, you will be asked to sign a ‘self dischar...
What Happens if You Leave A&E Prematurely? It is a question many people ask after sitting for six hours in a plastic chair: “Can I leave A&E without being seen?” The short answer i...
Working in A&E: 5 Pros and 5 Cons for Doctors and Students Whether you are a medical student, an F1/F2 doctor starting a 4-month rotation, or a clinician considering Emergency Medicine (EM) as a l...
What is the 4 Hour Accident and Emergency (A&E) target? The 4-hour Accident and Emergency (A&E) target is one of the most significant NHS performance indicators. It serves as a daily barometer...
NHS 18-Week Referral-to-Treatment (RTT): Your Rights and Wait Times If your GP refers you to a hospital specialist for a non-urgent condition, you are placed on what is known as the 18-week pathway. I...
How Many Beds are in the NHS? (2026 Update) Determining the exact number of hospital beds in the NHS is surprisingly complex. While it sounds like a straightforward statistic, the “live” n...
What happens I am admitted to hospital? This article describes the average unplanned (emergency) A&E or planned (elective) admission (e.g. for an operation). The average length of stay is 6-7 days...
