If you are feeling unwell or are injured, don’t wait to seek help. Find the right health service for your needs.
Click on the links below to find out more about the help you can receive using these health services:
Think 111 First
If you have an urgent but not life-threatening medical need, contact NHS 111 first before attending one of our services.
If you’re not sure which service to use, or what might be open locally, call 111 first.
Trained NHS advisors can provide health advice, connect you to a healthcare professional, arrange a face-to-face appointment or give you an arrival time if you need to go to an Emergency Department.
This service operates 24/7 all year round (even on bank holidays). You will speak to a trained NHS advisor with local service information at their fingertips.
Visit 111.nhs.uk or call 111 for free on any mobile or landline.
Self-care
NHS 111 might recommend you take care of yourself at home using your first-aid kit or over the counter medications.
Find out more about the types of illnesses that you can take care of yourself at home, with some expert advice from your local pharmacy team.
Many supermarkets and community pharmacies will have what you need and are often open during bank holidays.
Please monitor your condition and if your symptoms change or get worse do not hesitate to call NHS 111 back who can advise further.
Community Pharmacies
You can contact or visit your local community pharmacy to get help and support from a qualified healthcare professional for minor illnesses.
Pharmacy teams are trained to provide clinical advice and treatment for a range of minor illnesses. If symptoms suggest it’s something more serious, they can point you to the right place.
Your general practice team or NHS 111 may send you to your local community pharmacy to access the help you need.
Pharmacists are experts in medicines who can help you find the right over-the-counter medicines to help you manage many minor health concerns at home.
You may be eligible for the Pharmacy First Service where pharmacies can provide healthcare advice and potentially treatment for several common health conditions without needing a GP appointment.
Find out more about Pharmacy Services.
Minor Injuries Units
In Norfolk and Waveney there are two Minor Injuries Units:
The Norwich Practices Walk-in Centre at Rouen House on Rouen Road, Norwich, is open between 7am and 9pm every day.
This nurse-led centre can help with a range of minor injuries, including minor cuts and wounds, strains and sprains, skin complaints, and other minor injuries.
You will be triaged at the entrance and then treated or signposted elsewhere if necessary.
The Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) based at Cromer Hospital on Mill Road is open every day, including Bank Holidays, from 8am to 7.45pm.
Patients can receive treatment for minor injuries such as minor wounds, burns, simple fractures, and broken or dislocated fingers.
The unit can advise over the phone if your injury is suitable for the MIU. Call 01603 646230 to speak to one of the team before travelling to the MIU.
GP Practices
In GP practices there are now many types of healthcare professionals helping to provide care alongside GPs and nurses. Find out about the members of the General Practice team that you may be offered an appointment with when you contact your GP practice.
You can contact your surgery over the phone, online, or by visiting the practice. The reception staff are trained to ask you the right questions to help you to get an appointment with the right member of the general practice team for your clinical needs. All information they ask you to provide is treated confidentially.
GP practices offer face-to-face appointments, or you may be offered a telephone or video consultation depending on your clinical needs.
Groups of GP practices also work together in a local area called a Primary Care Network (PCN) to offer Enhanced Access appointments on weekday evenings (6.30pm – 8pm) and Saturdays (9am – 5pm). You can get these appointments by contacting your GP reception team. Find out which PCN your GP practice is in and about Enhanced Access appointments.
Check your practice’s opening times on their website, especially during bank holidays. Please use NHS 111 if they are closed and you need urgent health help.
Find out more about GP services and ways you can access care.
Emergency Departments
Emergency Departments (A&E) provide emergency care to people who have serious or life-threatening conditions.
Life-threatening emergencies could include chest pain, breathing difficulties, symptoms of stroke or sepsis, serious allergic reactions, trauma, blacking out, and other serious injuries or illnesses.
Please call 999 and request an ambulance if you or a loved one is experiencing a serious medical emergency.
There are three Emergency Departments in Norfolk and Waveney:
Mental Health
If you’ve not been feeling yourself for a while, take time to find out more about mental health, how you can improve your mood and wellbeing. Find local services which are available to help.
24-hour specialist mental health support is available, seven days a week for anyone currently experiencing a mental health crisis, or for anyone who is supporting someone in crisis and needs urgent help. Call NHS 111 and select the mental health option. This service is available to people of all ages.
Children and Young People
Parents can use all of the above services for their child or young person, depending on their needs.
Just One Norfolk is a dedicated NHS resource for parents and guardians with trusted help, advice and information during pregnancy, birth and your parenthood journey.
Dental Services
If you need urgent dental treatment and you attend a dental practice on a regular basis, please contact them first to request an urgent appointment.
If your dental issues are not routine, such as toothache, facial pain, swelling, bleeding or broken teeth where the root may be exposed, contact NHS 111 and request an urgent dental care appointment. NHS 111 may signpost you to a dental service that can offer an urgent treatment appointment depending on your clinical needs.
If you need emergency dental treatment out of hours, call your dentist as their voicemail may advise where to get Out of Hours treatment. You can also call NHS 111 to find an out-of-hours dental service near you.
Find out more about local dental services. The NHS website also has information on how to find a dentist and what to do if you need urgent care.
Urgent Health Help: Translated posters
Print-friendly posters are available to download below, which have been translated into 17 different languages: