Is it an emergency?Acute care refers to short–term treatment, usually in a hospital, for patients with any kind of physical or mental health illness or injury. Acute NHS Trusts provide services such as accident and emergency departments, inpatient and outpatient medicine and surgery and in some cases very specialist medical care.
There are five acute trusts operating within Suffolk and north east Essex. Between them, they offer a range of inpatient and outpatient health and care services.
If you require care from a hospital trust, the NHS Constitution gives most people living in England the right to choose where to receive treatment.
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT)
ESNEFT provide healthcare to a population of almost a million people in Ipswich and Colchester hospitals, as well as patients’ homes, surgeries, community and high street clinics and community hospitals.
Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT)
EPUT provides community health, mental health and learning disability services to support more than 3.2 million people living across Luton and Bedfordshire, Essex and Suffolk.
Their workforce of over 5,400 staff work across more than 200 sites. EPUT also provide services in people’s home and community settings.
North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT)
NELFT provides an extensive range of integrated community and mental health services, including an Emotional Wellbeing Mental Health Service for children and young people across the whole of Essex. This service is also known as the Southend, Essex and Thurrock Children’s and Adolescent’s Mental Health Service (SET CAMHS).
Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT)
NSFT provide mental health and learning disability care for people across Norfolk and Suffolk. The trust supports a population of just over 1.6 million people and employs more than 4,700 staff based in more than 50 locations. NSFT’s biggest bases are at Hellesdon Hospital, Norwich, Wedgwood House, Bury St Edmunds and Woodlands Unit in Ipswich.
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital and community services to a population of around 280,000 people who live in west Suffolk.
Feedback or questions about hospital trusts in Suffolk and north east Essex?
Every hospital trust has a dedicated team that handle questions, feedback and complaints. These teams are known as Patient Advice and Liaison Services (PALS).
If you are dissatisfied with the care you or a loved one has received, you can lodge a complaint with the hospital trust’s PALS team. You will be able to find contact details for each trust’s PALS team via the trust’s website. Alternatively, you can speak to our own PALS team, who will be happy to help you.
Urgent and Emergency care services
Learn when to use NHS 111, when to call 999, and what to do if you or someone you know is in a mental health crisis.