The Out of Hours Service operates on:

• Weekdays after 6.30pm and before 8.00am
• Weekends 6.30pm Friday to 8.00am Monday

You can be sure that there is a doctor available 24 hours a day; it may not, however, be a doctor who is familiar with your case or even a doctor from your own practice. You can see it is very important that out of hours calls are for REAL EMERGENCIES WHICH CANNOT WAIT UNTIL THE FOLLOWING MORNING TO BE DEALT WITH.

The out-of-hours telephone number is 0300 130 1313.

NHS Direct Call 24 Hours On 0845 4647 Visit the NHS Direct website at www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk

NHS Direct is a telephone service, staffed by nurses, giving confidential healthcare advice and information 24 hours a day.

Call for advice on what to do if you are ill, you have health concerns about someone close to you, or you need information about local health services - all for the price of a local call.

• NHS Direct offers you more choice by working hand in hand with existing NHS healthcare services.
   
• NHS Direct helps you get fast and convenient access to healthcare advice and information, and can help you decide what you should do next. For patients' safety, all calls are recorded.
   
• If your problem is more serious, NHS Direct can call out an ambulance on your behalf.
   
• If English is not your preferred language, you can use a translation service.