How do you access medical treatment within our NHS Trust area? This is something many people find confusing even worrying, especially when confronted by a perceived serious medical situation.
I hope in this updated article, to offer basic guidelines as to when and how to access either Accident and Emergency, or, the care and treatment delivered by Urgent Care Centres.
Let me put your mind at rest about which telephone number you should ring. It is 999 for Emergency and 111 for Urgent Care Centres, with their focus on non life-threatening medical conditions. Both of these are FREE numbers.
Do not worry if you get it wrong, experienced operators will assess your medical situation and channel you towards the most appropriate treatment pathway. Accident and Emergency began in the 1960 s, and was known as Casualty, later Accident and Emergency and now increasingly so to avoid confusion, The Emergency Department.
When should you ring 999? If a person is badly injured or showing signs of critical illness, such as poisoning or a stroke or heart attack. Other conditions would include severe blood loss, chest pains, shortness of breath, choking and blacking out, or other situations where speed is of the essence.
Within County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust area, there are two Accident and Emergency centres: Darlington Memorial Hospital and the University Hospital of North Durham, Durham City. A. and E. is staffed on a 24-hour basis, with a mix of different doctors, nurses, consultants and other senior staff on call throughout the night.
There are six Urgent Care Centres in our Trust area. I have visited them all and met with their dedicated staff. They offer outstanding medical facilities and provision – in no way inferior to that given by Accident and Emergency – for situations that would not be considered to be life threatening.
They were set up to take the pressure off Accident and Emergency Departments, not to replace them. The nearest Urgent Care Centres to us are at Bishop Auckland General Hospital, and Dr Piper House, King Street, Darlington (both open 24/7). Also, the University Hospital of North Durham ( open Monday to Thursday 6 pm to 8 am. Then Friday 6 pm, through until Monday at 8 am).
You access these if it is not a medical emergency, but you still require treatment fairly quickly. You should ring 111. Remember calls to this number are FREE. Your situation will then be assessed and this is known as Triage. An agreed appointment time will be negotiated that is most suitable for you and your medical condition, at whichever UCC is the most convenient for you. Calls to 111 can also be useful in finding out information about late opening chemists, out of hours doctors and emergency dental care.
Ambulances are provided for 999 cases only. However, dependent on the age or infirmity of the patient, any necessary assistance required would be assessed during ‘111’ Triage.
If you have a chest infection, urinary infection, suspected eye infection, cuts, bruises, sprained ankle, toe, hand or wrist fracture, you probably need to phone 111 and then get yourself to an Urgent Care Centre. They are open 24/7 (except UHND and Seaham Medical Centre) and are manned by a doctor (usually a GP) as well as senior nursing and paramedic staff (primary care practitioners).
Several have X-ray provision, though this usually closes during the late evening/night time hours. If you turn up at an Urgent Care Centre without an appointment, you will not be turned away. They try to triage you within twenty minutes and either treat you then and there, or ideally offer you an agreed appointment time.
Urgent Care Centres are there for the whole week, however, they often come into their own from Friday evening onwards. Especially so on a weekend and at other times when your surgery is closed or when the provision offered by the Urgent Care Centre is more appropriate.
There are grey areas and potential overlaps between the services offered by A. and E. and the Urgent Care Centres. However, be assured, whether you phone 111 or 999, you will receive the appropriate advice and help.
I hope that this information will be of some benefit to you and I will try to keep you informed about other developments within our Trust area.
Derek Atkinson,
Newton Aycliffe.
Elected Council of Governors member (Sedgefield area) County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust.
