When We Are Closed
When the surgery is closed, medical cover is the responsibility of Norwich Primary Care Trust (PCT). They use the East of England Ambulance Trust Out-of-Hours service to provide urgent medical cover at night and during the weekends.
Their website is www.eastamb.nhs.uk/service/primary-care .
They provide cover between 6.30 pm and 8.00 am, Monday to Friday and 6.30pm Friday to 8.00 am Monday morning and all public and bank holidays.
Contact them by calling 01603 621006 and you will be automatically re-directed.
A call handler in Norwich will take your details and pass them to a doctor, nurse practitioner or emergency care practitioner (ECP). They will then call you back to discuss the problem. You will then be given advice, offered an appointment at Norwich Community Hospital or be visited at home, depending on the nature of the problem.
The out of hours service does not have access to your GP records so please be aware of this when you call. Unless it is an emergency, it may better to call the surgery for advice when we re-open.
It is also worth remembering that your usual pharmacy will often be able to dispense an emergency supply of your usual medication without a prescription at the weekend if you should run out.
Please remember to consider calling the out-of-hours GP service rather than attending A&E where possible.
NHS Direct
In the case of urgent need when the practice is closed you can call
NHS Direct (0845 4647) to speak to a triage nurse. Your needs will be assessed and advice offered or arrangements made for you to see a doctor.
Please do not ask to see a doctor out of hours unless you genuinely cannot wait until the surgery re-opens.
Call 999 in an emergency. Chest pains and / or shortness of breath constitute an emergency.