ER Group

Volumes of patients

On average Life St Dominic’s Emergency Unit consults around 1600 patients per month. This number has shown a steady growth despite the opening of a second ER Consulting Inc unit in East London.

Clinical Profile

A diverse clinical profile presents to the unit, however, the focus for paediatric emergencies has shifted to the Beacon Bay Emergency Unit. The recent opening of the cardiac cathlab has enhanced the capability of cardiac care. Life St Dominic’s Emergency Unit is a drainage area for most of the Transkei rural areas and therefore receive referrals from distant sites.

Fees & Administration Fee

This unit charges medical aid rates. The patients account is submitted to medical aid directly by ER Consulting Inc. All medical aid patients are charged an administration levy of R70-00 that is non refundable by medical aids.

Triage

South African Triage Group (SATG) protocols are employed in the unit. All patients are triaged on arrival and are allocated a colour. This colour represents the acuity of the patient and the order in which the patient will be seen.

Doctor Model

Four full time doctors are employed in the unit, ensuring adequate coverage 24 hours per day with doctors available for call out should volumes require additional clinical support.

Locums

All locums are ER Consulting Inc. accredited. The locum pool include longstanding support from established GP practices as well as a vibrant young group of doctors from the surrounding training hospitals.

Shifts

Doctors work in 6 hour, 9 hour & 12 hour shifts with two doctors on shift when volumes dictate.

Administration

Two trained unit administrators are employed by ER Consulting Inc. to perform all administrative tasks on site.

Continued Professional Development

ER Consulting Inc. hosts accredited monthly Morbidity and Mortality meetings that are attended by specialist, nursing staff and paramedics. These meetings are exceptionally well attended and is run in conjunction with the Life Beacon Bay Emergency Unit.

WCA

WCA patients are welcomed in the emergency unit provided a copy of their ID book and the Employer’s Report are present. This documentation is then collated by our unit administrators together with the First & Progress Medical Reports.

Clinical Protocols

ER Consulting Inc. operates according to international best practice and is guided by the ER Consulting Inc. clinical guidelines which is available in electronic format and accessible 24 hours per day. Additionally there are hard copies of the SAMF and MIMS guidelines in the unit. The ER Consulting Inc National Clinical Director ensures that all doctors are up to date through the innovative clinical proficiency scorecard, providing training for our doctors through our dedicated training facility in Gauteng.

Events

ER Consulting Inc has a proud tradition of supplying support to the Iron Man 70.3. Dedicated sport injury protocols developed specifically for the need of this event is one of the proud achievements of the dedicated clinical team in the Eastern Cape.

Research

The clinical heads of Life St Dominic’s and Life Beacon Bay are in the process of developing academic publication guidelines which will be launched in the foreseeable future.