OUT OF HOURS  
If you need to speak to a doctor urgently outside opening hours, you should telephone 9332436 and listen to the recorded message. You will be advised to telephone either the Doctors Answering Service or the WestCall out of hours organisation. You will be put in touch with a duty doctor or nurse.

Any routine or non urgent problem which realistically can wait until 8.00 am should be left until after this time. If you require advice only you should contact NHSD on: 0845 4647. Inappropriate use of the Out of Hours service can result in delay to treatment for more urgent cases and we ask you to consider carefully whether the use of this service is necessary.

WESTCALL
When you speak to WestCall, please have the patient's home telephone number ready. The call will be answered at the WestCall operations centre where experienced call handlers are on duty. The patient's details are taken and logged onto the computer system and are passed to the doctor or nurse on duty. The doctor or nurse will ring the patient back to discuss the problem in detail and advise in one of the following ways:
  1. The doctor or nurse may give advice as to the suitable management of the patient's problem over the telephone if they believe that there is no need for the patient to see a doctor or nurse at this time.
  2. The doctor or nurse may advise that the patient should be invited to attend one of the Primary Care Centres to see a doctor or nurse on duty. (The doctor or nurse believes that the patient should be seen and the patient's condition will not be adversely affected by travel to the centre).
  3. The doctor or nurse may ask the patient to stay at home while arrangements are made for one of the doctors on mobile duty to make a home visit. (The doctor or nurse believes that the patient's condition does need to be assessed by a doctor and that deterioration could be caused by travel to the centre).
  4. Occasionally, the doctor or nurse may feel that a problem requires very urgent admission to hospital and will arrange for an emergency ambulance to be sent as well as arranging for a doctor to attend.

NB If a patient is given telephone advice and later feels that circumstances have changed, the doctor or nurse will always accept a further call for reassessment of the situation.

All telephone calls to WestCall are voice-recorded.

Patients are requested not to attend the Primary Care Centre before telephoning WestCall.