Neurology Same Day Emergency Care (NeuroSDEC) is a novel, fully integrated, consultant-led acute neurology service based within the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department at UCLH, alongside the existing Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) unit. It is the first service of its kind in the UK.
The Neurology Same Day Emergency Care service allows patients seen in A&E Department to be referred onwards for a rapid neurological assessment, led by consultant neurologists. This takes place ideally within 24 hours of referrals, and is for symptoms like headache, dizziness, weakness.
Although we try our best to stick to your appointment time, due to the urgent nature of the service, it is likely you will be in the department for several hours. However you will have your blood tests, scans and possibly some treatments all given on the same day if possible.
A telephone clinic is often carried out to review the effect of the above treatments and pass on results of any further outpatient tests that have been carried out. Again this may not be at the specific time you are given due to concurrent unpredictable urgent activity but it will be that day.
If there is any worsening in your condition, you should come to A&E or call 111 and can be re-assessed.
The service was initially piloted in 2020 by Dr Salman Haider, formally established in 2021 with the addition of Dr Ali Alim-Marvasti, and became fully embedded within the Trust’s acute care pathway in April 2025. Since 2023, an acute vertigo service led by Prof Diego Kaski and Dr Nehzat Koohi has been fully integrated, further enhancing the service’s specialist capability.
By “front-door loading” senior neurology expertise at the point of presentation, NeuroSDEC streamlines patient pathways and reduces pressure across the wider system. This approach helps ease pressure on the Emergency Department, reduces demand on inpatient beds, and supports more timely access to follow-up care across neurology services, including TIA and other specialist clinics.
NeuroSDEC represents a step change in the delivery of acute neurological care, with the potential to transform pathways, improve patient outcomes, and optimise system efficiency at scale.
Our co-located acute neurology model flexibly supports multiple acute care streams, including:
- Hot clinics for overnight cases and walk-ins
- Acute TIA/stroke mimic service
- Acute vertigo service
- Rapid consultant review of medical take cases (neurological conditions and stroke mimics)
- Advice and guidance on referral pathways
- Development of targeted acute pathways (e.g., acute vertigo, status migrainosus, acute FND)
Please note we are unable to support the below:
- Patients resident outside of North Central London
- Thunderclap headache
- Unchanged or slowly progressing chronic symptoms
- Ambulant patients already under a neurologist for the same condition
Patient contact
Service management
Tom Bryan
Other contact information
Service lead: Dr Salman Haider
Address
Neurology Same Day Emergency Care (NeuroSDEC)
Emergency Department
University College Hospital
Ground Floor
235 Euston Road
London, NW1 2BU
Other referral information
We only accept referrals internally from UCLH A&E, SDEC or acute medicine, not local GPs or other internal or external specialities.
Referral address
Neurology Same Day Emergency Care (NeuroSDEC)
Emergency Department
University College Hospital
Ground Floor
235 Euston Road
London, NW1 2BU
