Out of Hours Service

Out of Hours Arrangements

Before 8.00am and after 6.30 pm on weekdays, all weekends, and bank holidays until 8.00am on Monday you can make contact with a Doctor by phoning our emergencies number: 01530 270667.

This will put you through to the out of hours' service, provided by the P.C.T. who has care centres set up across Leicestershire.
The centres direct telephone number is: 084550 450 41.

EMERGENCY SATURDAY MORNING SURGERY

Before 8am and after 6.30pm weekdays and at weekends our out of hours service organised by the PCT provides care to you. Any calls to the surgery on 01530 270667 are automatically diverted to this service.

After negotiation with the PCT from 17th April 2010 we will be providing an emergency surgery to our patients from 9am to 11.50am on Saturday mornings
This surgery is for acute or emergency problems only. In order for us to run this service well and safely it is important to stress that this surgery is not for the review and management of ongoing/longterm conditions.

To access this service patients will be asked in the first instance to telephone the surgery on 01530 270667. The on call doctor will then contact you to discuss the problem and then arrange the most appropriate management. This may be review at the surgery, but in some cases diagnosis and treatment may be possible over the phone. Sometimes review in a normal weekday appointment may be more appropriate and will be arranged if that is the case.

Please note that the surgery will not be open for collection of repeat prescriptions etc on a Saturday.

Under the terms of the agreement with the PCT we are unable to include home visits in the Saturday surgery.

We are hopeful that this service will be an improvement on the current PCT Out of Hours Provision, which we know is not always easily accessible to our patients.

OUT OF HOURS SERVICES IMPROVEMENTS

Out of hours services when the surgery is closed have for some time been provided at the Loughborough Walk in Centre (see map). Calls to the Medical Unit Emergency number automatically connect there. Because of the distance, and that many people do not know Loughborough well, quite a number of patients have attended Burton A&E.

The disadvantages of this are cost – the A&E costs more per attendance to the PCT – and more importantly that the A&E doctors are not trained in many of the common conditions that GPs deal with every day. This can sometimes lead to unnecessary tests and treatments, and delays in diagnosis.

A New Alternative is now available at the Swadlincote Walk in Centre in Civic Way, Swadlincote (see map). Here the Nurse Practitioners are trained in primary care, the centre is nearer than Burton A&E, and referral on to the hospital is limited to those patients for whom it is medically required, reducing the load on A&E.

The opening hours are 6.30pm – 10.00pm in the week and 9.00am- 10.30pm Saturday, Sunday and Bank holidays. An appointment is not required.

If you need medical assessment or treatment at the above times, please feel free to drop in to the walk in centre for any GP type illness, minor injuries and wounds and emergency contraception.

There is also a Walk In centre at Leicester Royal Infirmary (see map).

NHS Direct

If you are unsure about your needs during the out of hours period you may wish first of all to contact NHS Direct on 0845 4647. They will offer you advice from a trained nurse.