What to Expect

The Children’s Hospital Emergency Department (ED) is here for you when your child is sick and in need of emergent care. The ED at Children’s Hospital is open 24 hours, every day of the year. We are committed to providing your child with safe, timely, high-quality care. Upon arrival, children and youth will be prioritized based on the severity of their illness or injuries, with critically ill children and youth assessed and treated in priority sequence.

Depending on volumes, families may experience much longer than normal wait times for non-emergent issues. Higher than normal volumes may also impact our ability to find your child a suitable care space, which may increase your wait time. You may also find that you are redirected to an alternative department in order to see patients sooner—please know this still provides you the highest level of emergency care from both physicians and nurses.

We encourage you to come to the ED prepared with water bottles, nut-free snacks, phone chargers and entertainment. Please note, Children's Hospital and LHSC are not responsible for missing or stolen personal items. Thank you for your patience as our team is working their hardest to help everyone in need of care.
 

Non-Emergency Medical Assistance Options:

First, call your family doctor, nurse practitioner or their on-call service. If they are not available or you do not have one, consider bringing your child to a walk-in or urgent care clinic.

Please note that the Urgent Care Centre may also be experiencing high patient volumes but remains the appropriate level of care for many non-emergency concerns.

Virtual Urgent Care might also be appropriate for your child if they have a medical issue that is NOT life-threatening but requires urgent medical attention and you’re unable to access timely care through a primary care provider.

For health-related advice from a Registered Nurse available 24/7, please call Health 811 (formerly TeleHealth Ontario) at 1-866-797-0000.

You may also visit AboutKidsHealth for resources or view this tip sheet made by family doctors, which can help you decide when to seek care for a child with respiratory illness and how to support your child at home.

You may also visit Translating Emergency Knowledge for Kids (TREKK) for additional resources for families on how to care for some common illnesses at home.

For serious medical injuries and conditions, do NOT delay seeking care. Call 911 or go to your nearest Emergency Department.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Disclaimer and Terms of Use

Children’s Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) Emergency Department wait times displayed on this website are based on an estimation provided by our health information system. These wait times are intended to be used for general information only and does not constitute medical advice.

Please be advised that due to changing circumstance and patient care requirements, the wait times can change significantly and immediately, without warning, and therefore are not guaranteed. Upon arrival, patients will be prioritized based on the severity of their illness or injuries, with critically ill or injured patients assessed and treated in priority sequence. Due to changing demands in Emergency Departments, these wait times may not be the time you will need to wait once you arrive at the Children’s Hospital Emergency Department. This means that your own wait time may be more or less than the time displayed on this website. The provision of the wait times on this website are not medical advice or a recommendation of one Emergency Department over another.

If your child requires serious medical attention, go to your nearest Emergency Department. For life-threatening, time-critical emergencies, call 9-1-1.

Children’s Hospital at LHSC makes reasonable efforts to ensure information is accurate at time of posting, however makes no representations or warranties of any kind (express or implied) regarding the accuracy and/or appropriateness of the information on this website. Children’s Hospital at LHSC disclaims all liability, claims, actions, demands, damages or suits, whatsoever, arising from any person’s use of this website, including any decisions made about their personal health as a result of using this website.

In no event will London Health Sciences Centre, its agents or employees, be liable to you or anyone else for any decision made or action taken in reliance on the information contained in this website. Any reliance you place on such material is therefore strictly at your own risk.