How do I get urgent care in the NHS?
What does ‘urgent’ mean? By urgent we mean:
- That you have become very unwell (physically or mentally) today, with a new illness
- You normal daily activity is very limited
- Without medical attention, you may deteriorate.
It is different from an emergency problem that requires A&E.
So. Where should you go if you need urgent care (not just A&E) in the UK?
There are 4 main options for urgent care.
Most of these are 7 day services, some are 24 hours.
- NHS111 (7 days, 24 hours)
Ring 111. A trained operator will talk through your symptoms; and they can either give advice, or arrange that you speak to or see someone most appropriate to deal with your issue.
- Walk-in Centres/Urgent Care Centres/Minor Illness) Injury Units (7 days, 8am-8pm)
These have various names:
- Walk-in Centre
- Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) (also called Urgent Care Centre, UCC)
- Minor Illness/Injury Unit (MIU)
- Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC). You may need referral from your GP or via the reception desk at A&E. They are usually part of an A&E, and staffed by hospital doctors and nurses.
Go to the one nearest you. You don’t need an appointment for most of them (SDECs may require referral). Just turn up. You may wait 2-4 hours. They are usually open 8am-8pm, 7 days a week. Some are 8am-10pm. You will usually see a doctor (often a GP; not SDECs) or experienced nurse (or equivalent).
- GP (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm)
Most GPs will have some same day appointments. You will need to provide details to the receptionist. The more detail you can give, the better they can direct you to the appropriate service. All receptionists are bound by confidentiality. You may have a telephone call initially and then invited for an examination if needed.
GP extended hours
Some practices have clinics that run till 6.30pm or later, or Saturdays; or have an arrangement with other practices. You can find out from your GP practice website, or ringing them. These are by appointment only.
- Accident and Emergency (7 days, 24 hours)
Only go to A&E if you are seriously unwell, think it is an emergency, and may require need hospital admission (i.e. you are that unwell). There may be a very long wait (8h+).
Special Situations
These problems are better dealt with in other ways:
- Stroke – if you think you are having a stroke, go to the nearest A&E with a stroke service (not all do). Check
- Eyes – go to your optician (many are 9-5pm, 7 days now), OR ‘eye casualty’ at a hospital. Some A&Es have one. Check before you go. This may be an 8am-8pm service (check), but an eye doctor can be called in to see you outside these hours (e.g. if you have rapidly gone blind in one or both eyes)
- Dental – ring your dentist as they may have some same day appointments. Note dentists are largely 9am-5pm, Mon-Fri. OR ring NHS111 and they will direct you to an out-of-hours dentist, and may make an appointment for you. OR go to hospital, if they have an A&E and maxillo-facial (dental) surgeons based there. Check before you go. This may be an 8am-8pm service (check), but a dental surgeon can be called in to see you outside these hours (e.g. if you have an abscess that needs draining today)
- Pregnancy – speak to your midwife, OR your Antenatal Clinic OR Labour Ward at the hospital where you will have the baby
- Sexual health – go to your nearest Sexual Transmitted Diseases (STD) or Genitourinary Medicine( GUM) clinic. You do not always need an appointment. These are also a good place to go if you are worried after discovering you are pregnant, or need contraception. Their opening hours vary and are largely 8.30am-6.30pm Mon-Fri (but vary; some have reduced hours on a Saturday, and there may be a limited Sunday service). Check before you go
- Mental health – ring NHS111. OR contact the Mental Health Crisis Team (MHCT), if you, or someone you know, requires urgent mental health help today. You can get the information about the service from your local mental health trust website. To find that, you can do an internet search for your location e.g. ‘Gloucestershire’ or ‘Cambridgeshire’ and ‘mental health trust’. OR, if you have a psychiatrist, and you ring their secretary, they may be able to get you seen tomorrow.
- Specialist long-term diseases – if you have an unusual long-term condition – e.g on dialysis, rheumatoid arthritis, heart failure, epilepsy – and see a hospital consultant regularly, you may have a specialist nurse who you can contact. They may be able to see you tomorrow or give you advice on the phone today. This will be a 9am-5pm Mon-Fri service. Contact them.
Summary
We have explained how do you get urgent care in the NHS (not just A&E). We hope you understand it better now.
