When we are closed

The practice provides a range of services including general medical advice and treatment; prescriptions; referral to a specialist or hospital; immunisations and tests. Outside the practice normal working hours 8.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m., during which you should normally contact us first, you could go to Yeovil Hospital Accident and Emergency Unit if you believe you have a dangerous or life threatening condition.

Call 999 in an emergency. Chest pains and / or shortness of breath constitute an emergency.

However, do ask yourself whether you really need an Accident and Emergency Unit. Please consider whether the following Local Out of Hours Service Options available to you during evenings, weekends and on bank holidays in South Somerset might be more appropriate for your concerns.

GP OUT OF HOURS MEDICAL SERVICE – Tel: 111

The GP Out of Hours Service provides urgent medical help or advice to patients between the hours of 6.30pm and 8.00am, Monday to Friday and at weekends and on Bank Holidays. You may be asked to attend a local centre to see the GP.

The cover is for urgent medical problems that cannot wait to be treated until normal surgery hours.

NHS DIRECT – Tel: 111 or www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk

NHS Direct will assess your problem and advise you on the best course of action. If you’re feeling unwell at the time of your call, you may be told how you can look after yourself at home, or the clinician may recommend that you see a pharmacist (chemist) or arrange for a doctor to see you. If further treatment is required they will contact the relevant service on your behalf. NHS Direct also has a very useful Symptom Checker on its website which may well save you a visit to hospital: https://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/en/CheckSymptoms

Please do not ask to see a doctor out of hours unless you genuinely cannot wait until the surgery re-opens.

MINOR AILMENTS SCHEME

A minor ailments scheme is provided by pharmacies (chemists) who are trained to assess and treat minor ailments including: Conjunctivitis; cystitis; thrush, impetigo, hay fever; athlete’s foot; ringworm; headache; cough; fever; sore throat; emergency contraception.

Some medications can be prescribed and may be charged for. Check with your local pharmacy whether they are part of this scheme.

MINOR INJURY UNITS

Minor Injury Units are staffed by Emergency Nurse Practitioners, who have the training and experience to deal with: cuts and grazes; removal of foreign bodies; dressing wounds; burns; scalds; minor broken bones; insect and animal bites and the screening and treatment for Chlamydia . A local Unit is the Yeatman Hospital Minor Injuries Unit in Sherborne  Dorset DT93JU (01935 813991) open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday – Friday and 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. during the weekends. See https://www.dorsethealthcare.nhs.uk/services/community-hospitals/yeatman-hospital-sherborne.htm for more information.

ACUTE COMMUNITY EYECARE SERVICE

This service is available for anyone registered with a GP in Somerset. It is for the assessment and treatment of recently occurring eye injuries such as: A sudden or recent reduction in vision in one or both eyes; Red eye(s) or eye lids ; Pain and/or discomfort in the eyes, around the eye area or temples;  Recent onset or sudden increase of flashes and/or floaters in one or both eyes; Mild trauma, for example a scratch to the outer surface of the eye(s) or lid(s); Suspected foreign body in the eye; Recent onset of double vision; Significant recent discharge from or watering from the eye. Please ring in advance as specific appointments are made available as required. See https://somersetccg.nhs.uk/your-health/aces/  for more information.

The local Yeovil opticians who are a part of this scheme as at April 2014 are:

Pharmacies

Some pharmacies are now providing Patient Group Direction (PGD) services to patients. Check with your local pharmacy if you think they might be able to help. These services include:

• Men’s Health – Erectile Dysfunction
• Women’s Health – Cystitis
• Sexual Health – Contraception and Chlamydia
• General Health – Asthma, Hay Fever and Psoriasis
• Travel Health – Malaria prevention, Travellers’ Diarrhoea and Motion Sickness

Medicine Chest

We also recommend that you keep some first aid and simple remedies in a safe place to treat minor accidents and complaints.