Dublin A&E vs VHI Swiftcare clinic

mambo

I seem to have broken (or done some other damage to) my little finger - it looks exactly like this http://images.google.co.uk/images?q=tbn:mlxCfot0jujfvM:http://vertrees.org/albums/hurt_finger/hurt_finger_001.highlight.jpg

I could risk spending all day waiting in A&E (since it's not a very serious high-priority injury) and pay €55 (plus extra if I need an x-ray).

Or else go to the VHI Swiftcare clinic in Dundrum and pay €85 plus possibly €65 for an x-ray, but at least be dealt with within an hour.

Anyone know if A&E charge extra for an x-ray, and what the A&E waiting time might be (ballpark figure)?

Plus which hospitals have A&E depts? A quick search on the their web sites shows Mater & Vincents do, but am not sure about St James?

DrIndy

All acute hospitals have A&E departments, but currently, the waiting time for a minor complaint is a very long time indeed.

HelterSkelter

St. James's have an A&E dept. You could be there for anything between 4 - 10 hours. They don't charge extra for x-rays. If your GP refers you there is no €55 charge (but you will have to pay your GP fee so no real saving).

snorlax

my sis got an x-ray for something and she didn't have to pay extra for an x-ray in the hospital she went to, she wasn't referred from a GP either. If you have a medical card you don't have to pay the 55eur fee, i'm not 100% sure about the GP only card.

Tree

Some hospitals fast track minor injuries, or at least teh south infirmary (in cork) does, was waiting under hour with a badly sprained ankle, i think they fast track any muscle/soft tissue/minor fractures

ergo

this is a bit late but just for the record I suppose...


... some hospital A+E's have dedicated minor injury sections that have separate doctors who only see the "minors" and hence you will only be queueing behind other "minor" injuries, regardless of what major trauma or sick patients are in the main department,

I know St Vincent's has this and it has dedicated doctors for minor injuries from 10am to 10pm, and the waiting time for an injury like yours would not be too long, but of course there are busy times in the minors section too, especially on weekends with all the sporting and drunken injuries!

hope the finger's not too badly injured.....

PaddyofNine

ergo wrote:

this is a bit late but just for the record I suppose...


... some hospital A+E's have dedicated minor injury sections that have separate doctors who only see the "minors" and hence you will only be queueing behind other "minor" injuries, regardless of what major trauma or sick patients are in the main department,

I know St Vincent's has this and it has dedicated doctors for minor injuries from 10am to 10pm, and the waiting time for an injury like yours would not be too long, but of course there are busy times in the minors section too, especially on weekends with all the sporting and drunken injuries!

hope the finger's not too badly injured.....

They do have such a minors section, and it's usually quiet-ish before 11 or 12 if you can haul yourself out of the sack early!

On the other hand if you go to Swiftcare they'll definitely x-ray any kind of injury like that, and to be honest I'd prefer the after-care follow up from one of the major hospitals in the form of a fracture clinic!