Emergencies & Out of Hours

Medical Emergencies

If you require urgent medical attention when the practice is closed please telephone 01872 580345. If we are closed and it is before 6.30pm you will be directed to our Message Handling Service who will be able to put you in touch with the on-call doctor.

From 6.30pm until 8.30am the next working day, and at weekends, you will be automatically redirected to NHS 111 for medical advice.

There are some emergencies that require immediate transfer to the hospital. There may be occasions when the practice staff or Out of Hours Service advise you to call 999 straight away and will not offer to visit first. This is because the speed of transfer to hospital is of the essence and assessment with access to hospital investigations is required immediately. In these situations, a visit adds unnecessary delay and an ambulance is what is required. Equally, coming to the surgery with an emergency such as chest pain will delay the ambulance. It is better to stay at home and dial 999 if this is the case.

Dental Emergencies

Our doctors have no dental training and are unable to provide dental advice or treatment. If you have a dental emergency you should consult your usual dentist in the first instance.

NHS England South West has put together an emergency dental service for patients who are unable to access their normal dentist or patients who do not have access to a dentist at all.

The network is designed to help people with urgent and emergency dental conditions, including severe pain and infection. They are fully staffed and equipped to provide treatment while high-street surgeries have their doors closed due to covid-19 (coronavirus).

To get access, people should phone their own dentist to be assessed. All NHS dental surgeries should be contactable, even while their doors are closed.

Out of usual surgery hours, people should call NHS111.