Coastal Villages Practice > Care in Evenings & Weekends
NHS Direct
The NHS provides a 24 hour telephone advice service, with low cost calling. Information is also available on-line and via digital TV.
How do you use the NHS direct telephone service?
Call the NHS Direct telephone service on 0845 4647. You will be asked to provide some basic information about yourself and to describe the nature of your call. If you need advice about a health problem, you are asked if you are calling for yourself or on behalf of someone else and are then asked:
What the symptoms are, how they affect you/the person and when they began; What you/the person have tried already; Any drugs you/the person are already taking; Any existing medical conditions; Anything else you think is relevant. NHS Direct nurses will use their skills and experience, together with a comprehensive computer system, to advise you on the most appropriate course of action to take.
With the right advice and information, lots of non-serious health problems can be treated at home or following a visit to your local pharmacist. If the problem is more serious, you may need to see your doctor or go to hospital. Whatever the problem, the NHS Direct nurse will listen to the symptoms you describe and advise you what to do for the best. If your problem is very serious, they will connect you to the ambulance service.
NHS Direct staff can also provide information on a wide range of healthcare topics, from helping you to find out more about diagnosed conditions and treatments to giving details of local health services. If you are calling from work, or somewhere with a switchboard, you may have to dial 0845 46 47 647
Where is the NHSdirect website
GP care at Evenings, Weekends & Bank Holidays
How the service works
Patients contact the out–of–hours provider by phoning the usual surgery number. They are then automaticaly put through to the OOH provider.
The call handler will take details of your condition or that of a family member or friend. You will then be phoned back. You may be given advice over the telephone by a clinician or required to visit the OOH centre at St. James Health & Resource Centre. A health professional may visit a patient at home if they are housebound or have terminal care requirements and they are unable to travel.
Family doctors are involved in diagnosing and treating patients, but specially trained paramedics, emergency care practitioners and nurses also see patients and provide visits.
Who provides the service
This service is provided in the Great Yarmouth & Waveney area by a company contracted by the PCT (Primary Care Trust), called TCN (Take Care Now). This company provides primary care for patients at nights, weekends and bank holidays.
St. James Health & Resource Centre, Queens Road, Great Yarmouth, NR30 3DG