Contact the practice

If you need help when we are closed

Emergencies Out-of-Hours Please call 111

If your problem is not urgent please try to wait until normal surgery hours and avoid using the emergency service. Generally the doctors use a commercial deputising service to provide out-of-hours emergency cover and pay charges for the service provided. Your co-operation is appreciated for using this service only for serious problems which cannot wait until the next surgery.

Calls dealing with minor problems may block the system and jeopardise patients who require more important intervention.

On making contact the service will take all of your details. You will also be required to give a short description of your problem. These questions are to judge the urgency of your condition so please provide the information requested. You may be telephoned back by a doctor. The doctor will make an assessment of your problem and decide on the best course of action. This may well be telephone advice. If a consultation is needed you may be asked to attend their out-of-hours centre. If the patient is bed-bound or so severely ill that they cannot travel, a home visit may be arranged.

Please remember it is the doctor’s responsibility to judge whether you need advice on the phone or to be seen. They also decide whether a consultation, if needed, is better done in an out-of-hours centre or at home. The practice is not responsible for the decisions and actions of the out-of-hours service.