When the surgery is closed East Kent Coastal Primary Care Trust is responsible for the provision of Primary Out of Hours service to patients. The services are provided by South East Health.

The service provides patients with:

	First contact/telephone triage
	Emergency care assessed through a local treatment centre
	Emergency care assessed through a home visiting service

What to do when the surgery is closed

If the surgery is closed and you need a doctor please telephone the surgery on 08444 770927 and listen to the recorded message.

Or you can contact South East Health direct on 0844 800 1234.

This service is for urgent medical situations – if you, or a member of your family, become ill and you are concerned. It is not for routine enquires, such as booking an appointment with your GP, repeat prescriptions, test results etc.

When you ring the Out of Hours service provider you will be put through to the call centre. A trained member of staff will answer the phone and take some details for you. They will pass your details straight over to a doctor or nurse who will phone you back to ask you more about the problem and, with you, will decide the best option for you. Depending on the seriousness of your condition, this might be one of the following:

	Advice over the phone
	A visit to the local treatment centre
	A home visit by a nurse, doctor or paramedic

For health Information or advice please call NHS Direct on 0845 4647.

NHS Direct

NHS Direct offers free expert health Information and advice 24 hours a day on 0845 4647 or at their website www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk which also offers an enquiry service for deaf people or those hard of hearing, a telephone service is available on 0845 606 4647. If English is not your preferred language, you can choose to use a confidential translation service.

Accident and Emergency

Whatever the day or time, if you or someone else experiences severe chest pain, loss of blood or suspected broken bones go to the nearest accident and emergency department or call 999.