Emergency care services are intended for patients whose examination or treatment cannot safely be postponed until the next business day or when postponing treatment could cause permanent damage to their health, as well as patients whose life is threatened.
No referral is needed for admission to the emergency department in the evening, at night and on weekends. At First Aid Unit Acuta, we treat patients who have suddenly become injured or fallen ill and who cannot be treated at health care centres. The primary healthcare emergency care is mainly for the residents of Tampere. Night-time emergency services are also available to residents of Hämeenkyrö, Ikaalinen, Nokia, Orivesi, Pirkkala, Ruovesi, Sastamala, Virrat and Ylöjärvi.
We also treat non-resident patients from other localities and abroad, if the patient’s illness or injury requires emergency care. All patients are advised to first call the medical helpline +358 (0)3 10023 before arriving at the emergency department, to be directed to the right place of care. The need for an interpreter is assessed at Acuta. Interpretation services are available to the patient free of charge.
Acuta facilities and staff
Patients and visitors wait in a large waiting area in the lobby, which is divided into zones marked with letters. Pediatric patients have a separate area in the lobby. Visitors to the dental emergency services and other specialised health care services also wait in the same lobby. Acuta has approximately 70 beds. To protect patient safety and privacy, beds have been placed in rooms which cannot be freely accessed by Acuta visitors.
Acuta's staff includes almost 200 employees as well as on-call physicians from different specialities, and support personnel. Approximately 50 employees are working a shift at a time: physicians, nurses, paramedics, department secretaries, domestic staff, porters, receptionists and guards.
Some 100,000 patients are treated at Acuta annually. Patients who have been admitted for observation are treated in separate wardrooms. The Observation Unit is used for about 8,500 treatment days each year.
How to register as a patient
When arriving at Tays First Aid Acuta, check-in by scanning your KELA card, ID, driver’s licence or by manually entering your personal ID code in the self-check-in machine. Take the number printed out. The nurse will call you for a pre-examination assessment by this number.
The TV-screen in Lobby A will show the number of the next customer and the number of the room where the nurse will assess your need and urgency for care. The numbers are printed out in random order, so they do not indicate the order of urgency. The receptionists and customer service adviser are happy to assist you with any questions.
Assessing the need for care
Patients are treated in order of urgency. A triage nurse will assess your need and urgency for care. If the patient’s condition is not life-threatening or does not require urgent care, they are directed to another care provider or discharged home.
Usually, patients are assessed within 10 minutes from arrival. After the assessment of the need for treatment, you are asked to wait in the lobby or taken straight to the ward to a bed, from where you will be seen by a nurse or a doctor.
Treatment at Acuta and the Observation Unit
You will always be seen by a doctor if your condition requires this. You may also be sent to the laboratory or x-ray for further examinations. After this, the doctor will decide on the course and place of treatment.
The overall treatment time of patients at Acuta waiting in the ward is approximately 3.5 hours, and of patients waiting in the lobby, less than 2 hours. However, emergency medicine can be unpredictable and situations change quickly, so be prepared to wait longer.
You may be admitted to the Observation Unit for further studies or monitoring for one or two days. The Observation Unit also treats patients requiring urgent short-term hospital care, such as:
- patients with infections
- cardioversion patients
- patients requiring observation via a monitor
- patients with mild poisoning
- as well as surgical patients with short-term post-operative treatment, such as patients who have had an appendectomy
During the observation, your doctor will decide whether you can be discharged, or whether you need enhanced home nursing or to be admitted to a ward at the health centre or hospital.
Meals
Patients who have to wait for a long time and those with diabetes are offered snacks unless there is a medical reason why the patient should not eat. Hospital meals are available only at the Observation Unit.
Nurse’s consultation
A nurse can treat emergency patients independently in cases that do not require a physician, such as:
- urinary tract infections
- patients who require a sick note for e.g. flu or gastroenteritis
- patients whose cuts or grazes can be closed by glueing.
Visitors in the emergency department
Family members may inquire about the place of care and health of a patient from the receptionist or customer service adviser. Companions are also welcome to stay with the patient in the lobby area.
At treatment unit, short visits are allowed with the permission of the staff. Parents may stay with small or school-aged children throughout their treatment. Elderly patients and patients with disabilities may also be accompanied as necessary.
The staff may need to ask visitors and companions to leave if the treatment of the patient or any other patient so requires. Every patient has the right to the protection of privacy and personal information as well as to rest in peace and quiet.
Patient inquiries
Family members are welcome to inquire about a patient by phone tel. 03 311 611. The operator can check the system to see which treatment unit the patient is being treated in at First Aid Unit Acuta and will forward the call to that group. Family members can also call the patients directly on their personal phones, as the use of mobile phones is allowed at Acuta.
If you have accompanied a patient to Acuta, you were given a phone number that you can call for inquiries. Note that this number can be used for that particular visit only, as each treatment group has its own number.
Patient fees
Our fees are based on the Act on Social and Health Care Client Fees. The Board of Pirkanmaa Hospital District has also made decisions regarding patient fees. Patients will receive an invoice at their home address after their treatment.
If you have questions about patient fees, please call the Patient Administration between 10.00 and 14.00 tel. 03 311 66405..
Juoma/ruoka-automaatit
Acutan aulasta löytyy ruoka- ja juoma-automaatteja, jotka toimivat kolikoilla. Aulassa on myös setelinvaihtoautomaatti.
Drinks/snack vending machines
There are drinks and snack vending machines in the lobby that accept coins. There is also a note exchange machine in the lobby.
The
restaurant at the Central Hospital is open daily 10.45–14.00 On weekdays the restaurant serves a lunch menu including a vegetarian option, soup or salad buffet and dessert. On weekends, the restaurant serves a lunch menu including a vegetarian option and dessert. The restaurant accepts cash, debit cards and most credit cards.
There are also other lunch restaurants, cafés and a kiosk operated by a charity, Pirkanmaan Kansanterveys ry:
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Kahvikeidas, Service Centre, 1st fl., Mon-Fri 7.30–19.00, Sat 10.00–18.00, Sundays 12.00–18.00
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Kioski, Service Centre, 1st fl., Mon–Fri 8.00–19.00, Sat 10.00–18.00, Sun 12.00–18.00
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Café Sirius, R Building, 1st fl., Mon–Fri 7.30–16.00
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Finn-Medin Ravintola, Finn-Medi 1, Biokatu 6, 1st fl. Mon–Fri 7.45–15.00
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Ravintola Ellipsi, Finn-Medi 5, Biokatu 12, 1st fl, Mon–Thu 8.00–15.00, Fri 8.00–14.30
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Café Olive, Finn-Medi 4, Biokatu 4, 1st fl., Mon–Thu 7.45–14.45, Fri 7.45–14.30
The restaurant at the Patient Hotel Norlandia Tamprere serves a daily breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet. The à la carte menu is also available daily until 19.30. The lobby café at the patient hotel is open 24/7.
ATM
The nearest ATM is located in the main lobby of Tays Central Hospital.
How to get there and where to park
First Aid Unit Acuta can be reached by Teiskontie from the intersection of Kuntokatu and then to Ensitie. The intersection area has some worksite traffic due to ongoing building works.
If you use a navigator, enter Kuntokatu as destination and follow the signs once you reach your destination.The nearest bus stops are at the intersection of Teiskontie and Kuntokatu.
Parking fees apply on weekdays (including public holidays) 8.00–18.00. There is also a new carpark available in which fees apply 24/7. Tays Central Hospital parking is managed by Finnpark Oy.
Contact details
Visiting address:Pirkanmaan Hospital District Tays First Aid Acuta, Emergency DepartmentTeiskontie 35, K Building, level 033520 Tampere
Mailing address:Tampere University Hospital Tays FirstAid Unit AcutaPO BOX 200033521 Tampere
Telephone numbers:Tays switchboard 03 311 611Medical helpline 03 10023 tai 03 5657 0023Patient inquiries 03 311 66411Fax 03 311 65346