Out of hours cover provides urgent medical help or advice to patients between the hours of 6.30pm and 8.00am, Monday to Friday and at weekends (including Saturday mornings) and on Bank Holidays.
The cover is for real emergencies such as heart attacks, breathing difficulties and meningitis.
The Dorset and Somerset Urgent Care Service, operated by the South Western Ambulance Service, provide this cover in Somerset.
The telephone number is 0845 408 8000 and calls to this number pay no more than a local telephone charge rate.
You must be prepared to attend the nearest primary care centre unless the patient is medically unfit to travel. The on call doctors can see far more patients at a central location than by visiting them at home. They also have better facilities at the primary care centres so be prepared to ask relatives, friends or neighbours to give you a lift if necessary or to phone a taxi.
Out of hours cover does not deal with the following:
- Advice and prescriptions for coughs and colds, head lice and threadworms
- Prescriptions for medicines that can be bought at the chemist
- Repeat prescriptions
- Second opinions on problems being dealt with by your doctor
- Accidents and injuries which should be seen in Accident and Emergency departments at your nearest general hospital
- Problems which can wait until your surgery is open
If you or a member of your family become critically ill and need immediate medical treatment you should telephone 999 and ask for an ambulance. For advice, NHS Direct is available 24 hours a day on 0845 4647.
Out of Hours Service Doctors Recruitment
If you are interested in applying for a sessional contract to work for the Dorset and Somerset Urgent Care Service, please contact Ellenor Peaty on (01202) 851332, Monday to Friday 9am-5pm.
