Feeling ill and your GP practice is closed?
There is a multiplicity of services in this increasingly fragmented NHS. Where do you go when you're ill? With A&E waiting times typically of several hours and likely to get worse this winter, it seems many choose that option. But is it the best? If you you haven't had an accident and it's not an emergency (chest pain, collapse, loss of consciousness etc) then probably not. Many people visiting A&E are making the wrong choice and are delaying the care of more urgent cases. Should they instead have chosen a walk-in centre, urgent care centre, GP out of hours service, visited a pharmacist or checked what to do on-line? So, how to choose, if you're not sure? A good starting point is to ring NHS 111 which has a directory of all local services. If it's not urgent and they are busy, you may have to wait a while until someone calls you back. You will be asked about your problem and a computer will help the adviser to decide on the level of urgency and give y