Same day emergency care (SDEC)
Referrals
Making a referral
We accept referrals from:
- GPs
- NHS 111
- the London Ambulance Service
If you are planning to advise a patient to visit our emergency department, please first consider making a referral to SDEC. For all acute medical problems, treatment and discharge are possible to be done the same day you make your referral.
Exclusion criteria
We do not accept referral for patients with:
- women's reproductive health conditions (gynaecology)
- emergency mental health problems
- intoxication
- problems which may require a surgical operation
- traumatic injuries
- stomach and intestinal infections (with symptoms like diarrhoea and vomiting)
- problems with require assessment and treatment in a more specialist part of our emergency department (NEWS score >5)
GP referrals
GP referrals should be made via Consultant Connect.
Please select ‘GSTT Acute Medicine SDEC’.
The SDEC consultant or registrar will discuss your patient's condition to determine if they need to come to the SDEC unit.
If you are a Clinician and have any questions, unsure about referral suitability, or need medical advice, please contact the SDEC consultant or registrar via Consultant Connect. Available from 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week, excluding Bank Holidays.
Emergency referrals
Please refer via Consultant Connect.
Contact us
Phone: 020 3870 2849
Please select option 1. Please have the patient's NHS number.
Address: Same day emergency care (SDEC), ground floor, Lambeth Wing, St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH
We're open 7 days a week, 8am to 8pm. The last time patients can arrive is 6pm.
Closed bank holidays.
Last updated: January 2026