What to do when your GP Surgery is closed
The Out of Hours service will offer care for urgent health problems when GP surgeries are closed. This is between 6:30pm and 8:30am Monday to Friday and 24 hours over weekends and bank holidays.
The Out of Hours Service can be contacted on 111 please don't wait for your surgery to open as they are there to help you when we are closed
As per current practice, your personal details will be taken and passed onto a GP, who will return your call and assess your medical requirements. This may involve advice about self-care, a visit to a Primary Care Centre, or a home visit by a GP or specialist Paramedic.
Information about your contact with the Out of Hours service will be forwarded to your GP practice by the next working day.
We would like to remind you that Out of Hours cover does NOT deal with the following:
• Prescriptions for medicines that can be bought at the chemist
• Repeat prescriptions
• Second opinions on problems being dealt with by your doctor
• Problems that can wait until your surgery is open
Emergencies
Please remember – if the situation is an emergency and you need immediate care:
• Dial 999 and ask for an ambulance
• Go straight to your nearest emergency department
Why can’t I email the practice directly?
We do not use general email for patient communication because it is not a safe or reliable way to contact the practice.
Email presents several risks:
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Not monitored continuously – Emails may not be seen promptly, which could delay urgent matters.
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Patient safety risk – We cannot guarantee timely review, triage or clinical oversight of information sent by email.
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Confidentiality concerns – Standard email is not a secure clinical communication system and may put sensitive information at risk.
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Misrouting or incomplete information – Emails can be sent to the wrong address or lack the details needed to action your request safely.
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No integration with your medical record – Emails do not automatically link to your clinical record, which increases the risk of important information being missed.
To keep patients safe and ensure enquiries are handled correctly, we use structured and monitored communication routes such as:
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Our online consultation system
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The NHS App
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Telephone contact with reception
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Written correspondence where appropriate
These systems allow us to triage requests appropriately, maintain confidentiality, and ensure information is recorded accurately in your medical record.
Thank you for helping us keep communication safe and effective.
