Out of Hours Emergencies
When the practice is closed (between 6.30pm and 8.00am Weekdays, Weekends & Bank Holidays), there is an out of hours emergency medical service available at all times. This service is meant for urgent and emergency problems and should not be used to avoid the inconvenience of consulting during the day. If you need out of hours help, you should telephone 111 which is a free-phone number nationwide. All calls are answered by a controller and then passed to the appropriate service (NHS Direct, District Nurses, Community Mental Health Services, Social Services or an out of hours GP) for assessment. If you need a doctor, your call will be routed to Seldoc, a local service provided by local GPs.
Details of your problem will be requested by a telephone operator and a doctor will then call you back. The doctor may offer you advice over the phone or you may be asked to attend a local primary care centre. If the doctor feels it is necessary, a home visit may be offered.
All calls to the GP emergency service (and this surgery) may be recorded for your safety, and confidentiality is maintained at all times. Details of your consultation will be sent to your own GP to assist in continuing care. Information may be used anonymously to train doctors and for audit purposes to monitor the service and improve standards. If you do not wish your information to be used for these purposes, please inform the telephone receptionist.
Remember the Out of Hours Service is for urgent problems only. Please do not contact the service for a second opinion or for anything which can wait until the next working day.
If you have a minor ailment you could visit your local pharmacy who will be able to provide you with some help or signpost you onto the next available service.
In a genuine emergency you should call 999. Chest pains and / or shortness of breath constitute an emergency.
NHS 111 BSL
The NHS 111 service is available for deaf people to contact 111 medical staff. Fully qualified and experienced interpreters. This is for use when:
- You need help quickly, but it is NOT an emergency;
- You think you might need to go to A&E but are not in imminent danger
- You don’t know who to contact, or your GP is not available;
- You need health information or advice on what to do next.
How To Make Contact
Go to Interpreter Now – NHS 111. Click on Connect – a BSL interpreter will appear on your screen.
Making contact in BSL is easy. You can do it from any computer, and almost all tablets and mobile phones.
Mental Health Crisis?
You should call 999 or go to A&E if you, or someone you know, experiences a life-threatening medical or mental health emergency. These are cases where there is immediate danger to life or physical injury. A mental health emergency should be taken as seriously as a medical emergency. If you feel like you may be close to acting on suicidal thoughts or have seriously harmed yourself, you should call 999 or go to A&E directly if you need immediate help and are worried about your safety.