Emergency department Emergency department An emergency department (ED), also known as an accident & emergency department (A&E), emergency room (ER), emergency ward (EW) or casualty department, is a medical treatment facility specializing in emergency medicine, the acute care of patients who present without prior appointment; either by their own means or by that of an ambulance. The emergency department is usually found in a hospital or other primary care center. Due to the unplanned nature of patient attendance, the department must provide initial treatment for a broad spectrum of illnesses and injuries, some of which may be life-threatening and require immediate attention.
Victoria Hospital (Kirkcaldy) relocated there in December 2011. Services then transferred across from Forth Park Hospital, Kirkcaldy, in January 2012, followed in the same month by a number of services from Queen Margaret Hospital, Dunfermline. From January 2012, all of Fife's accident and emergency services were located at the Victoria Hospital. The hospital provides many facilities for the catchment area including an accident and emergency department, ear, nose and throat (ENT) unit, anaesthesia, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatric surgery, mental health services, infectious diseases and operating theatres. Whyteman's Brae Hospital which is part of the complex caters for psychiatry and elderly patients. The hospital