When We Are Closed
If you are unwell in the evening, overnight, on a bank holiday or at the weekend
Call the Emergency Care Service on - 0845 600 1013
This service is for urgent medical reasons - if you, or a member of your family becomes ill and you are concerned. It is not for routine enquiries such as booking an appointment with your GP, repeat prescriptions, test results etc
When you ring the Dorset Emergency Care Service your call will go through to a call centre in St. Leonards, Dorset. A trained member of staff will answer the phone and take some details from you. They will pass your details straight over to a doctor or nurse who will ring you back to ask you more about the problem and, with you, will decide the best option for you
Depending on the seriousness of your condition, this might be:
- Advice over the phone
- A visit to a local treatment centre, or
- A home visit by a nurse, doctor or paramedic
You can also:
- Visit a local pharmacy (Chemist) . Your local paper will have details of pharmacies open late on weekdays and Saturdays, Sunday and Bank Holidays
- Call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47. NHS Direct can give you general medical information 24 hours a day. Their trained nurses can provide you with expert health advice and reassurance any time of the day or night.
- If your injury or illness is severe, or you have had a serious accident, call 999 and ask for an ambulance. Or you can visit your local A & E department
For those who may be hard of hearing there is a minicom “Talk and Type “ system in the control room of the service. Alternatively contact by fax on 01202 875319 may be easier.
NHS Direct
In the case of urgent need when the practice is closed you can call
NHS Direct (0845 4647) to speak to a triage nurse. Your needs will be assessed and advice offered or arrangements made for you to see a doctor.
Please do not ask to see a doctor out of hours unless you genuinely cannot wait until the surgery re-opens.
Call 999 in an emergency. Chest pains and / or shortness of breath constitute an emergency.