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Health and well-being
Emergency healthcare
Before you find yourself in a situation where medical treatment, help or advice is needed urgently, it helps to be prepared. This article will enable you to find out what is classed as an emergency, the types of services on offer and which one is best suited to your needs.
Do you need an emergency service?
It is important to understand what is an emergency, so find out whether you could use self-help methods or whether a situation is classed as an emergency from the NHS Direct website.
Choosing the right emergency service
It is important to choose an emergency service that gives you the right treatment.
Ambulance service - dial 999
If it is obvious you or someone else needs emergency treatment, dial 999, free from any public or private telephone, and ask for the ambulance service.
Accident and Emergency departments
Most major hospitals have a 24-hour Accident and Emergency (A and E) department where you can turn up without making an appointment. You may have to wait, even if your injuries are serious, before being seen by a doctor or nurse. How long you wait will depend upon:
- how busy the department is
- the seriousness of other patients' conditions
- if your condition will get worse if left
You can find the address and telephone number of your nearest A and E department using the NHS England website's online search.
Minor Injuries Units
Minor Injuries Units are for patients with less serious injuries, such as sprains, cuts and grazes. The waiting times are usually much shorter than those in A and E and you do not need an appointment. Contact NHS Direct to find your nearest Minor Injuries Unit.
NHS Walk-in Centres
If you have a minor injury you may be able to visit an NHS Walk-in centre.
Out-of-hours doctor
Some GP surgeries provide an out-of-hours service, ie between 6.00 pm and 8.00 am, on weekdays, all weekend and bank holidays. Your doctor's surgery or receptionist can give you the contact details for this service.
If, however, your surgery doesn't provide an out-of-hours service, your Primary Care Trust (PCT) will provide a local service. You can find your PCT's contact details by searching online on the NHS England website by town/county, postcode, listing or map location.
Dental treatment
Few dental emergencies require out-of-hours intervention, but if it is needed your local Primary Care Trust (PCT) will have made appropriate arrangements. Any dental care service provided by them will only be for cases requiring urgent treatment that cannot wait until the next working day on which a dental practice is open.
You can find more information on your local PCT's website or by contacting NHS Direct.
Contraception
If you have had unprotected sex and wish to get emergency contraception, also called the 'morning after pill', you can get this from either a doctor's surgery, a local Family Planning Clinic or a pharmacist.
Mental health
If you:
- are having emotional or mental problems that are of immediate concern
- need to talk to someone about another person's behaviour, at any time of the night or day
you can call either:
- NHS Direct on 0845 46 47 to talk to a trained nurse
- the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 to talk to a trained volunteer
To find out more about mental health, you will need to talk to a doctor, nurse, social worker or care coordinator.
National health incidents
In the event of a major health incident, eg caused by a terrorist attack, heat wave or flu pandemic, the Preparing for emergencies website provides information on how you can help yourself and your family in an emergency.
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