A clinician will review your referral. We may contact you to ask for more information, or a call handler may contact you to arrange an appointment. At busy times, there may be a wait before you are contacted.

If a clinician contacts you, they will agree the next step with you. This may include:

• Telephone advice and/or treatment (including a prescription sent to your nominated pharmacy)
• A face-to-face assessment at an Out of Hours centre (by appointment)
• A home visit (if you are assessed as housebound)

Please arrive on time for your appointment. If you arrive late, we may need to rebook you or refer you back to your GP for assessment, as we prioritise patients based on clinical need, safety and capacity.

At the Out of Hours centre

You will be seen by appointment (similar to a GP practice). Patients who are more unwell will be seen first. On arrival, initial observations may be taken (for example, blood pressure, temperature, pulse and oxygen levels).

You will then be assessed by a clinician who will discuss your symptoms and agree a plan. This may include examination, treatment and/or medication, and advice on managing your condition.

If needed, you may be referred to hospital for further assessment or treatment.

A summary of your Out of Hours consultation may be shared with your GP to support follow-up care.

What not to expect

The Out of Hours service provides urgent care when your GP practice is closed. It does not provide:

• Routine GP services (for example, repeat prescriptions, fit notes, long-term condition reviews)
• Walk-in appointments without a referral or appointment
• Minor injuries services
• Blood tests, scans or other investigations (unless you need to be admitted to hospital)
• Results from tests arranged by other services
• Routine or non-urgent specialist referrals