[1] The AMU acts as a gateway between a patient's general practitioner, the emergency department, and the wards of the hospital.
An AMU is usually made up of several bays and has a small number of side-rooms and treatment rooms.
From the emergency department, patients can be moved to AMU where they will undergo further tests and stabilisation before they are transferred to the relevant ward or sent home.
Surgical procedures are not carried out in the unit either; these are referred on to the relevant theatre such as cardiothoracics and general surgery.
Often a registrar in general medicine, and a ward sister or a charge nurse have roles in the unit.