The Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care System encompasses a range of health care providers and services.
We work collaboratively to develop and deliver our urgent care services so that people will always be able to access the most appropriate care for their health needs.
To make sure that people get the right care in the right place, it’s important to understand the difference between urgent and emergency care, and which services to access in each case.
Urgent care
An illness or injury that requires urgent attention but is not a life-threatening situation.
Here is a list of services people should use to access urgent care:
- Visiting the Minor Injuries Unit based in Cromer Hospital, or the Norwich Practices Walk-In Centre
- Calling NHS 111
- Calling or visiting your community pharmacy
- Out-of-hours GP appointments
- If you are unsure what service is needed, call 111 or go online to 111.nhs.uk for help to assess your needs and get advice on the appropriate service/s.
Emergency care
Life threatening illnesses or accidents which require immediate, intensive treatment. Visit Emergency Departments (A&E) for life-threatening emergencies such as chest pain, breathing difficulties, the symptoms of stroke or sepsis, serious allergic reactions, trauma, blacking out, and other serious injuries or illnesses.
Services to access emergency care:
- Ambulance (by calling 999)
- A&E
A&E departments are available at the three main hospitals in Norfolk and Waveney:
It’s essential that people can access the care they need when they need it. We want to make sure our services meet the needs of our local population, and to do this we are:
- Raising the public profile of all the urgent care services that are available for different health needs, and improving signposting to these services such as walk-in centres, community pharmacies, and 111
- Making sure that we make best use of technology to help us to offer the most up to date services and treatments
- Working better together, so that care is given at the right time by the right staff in the right place with the right equipment
- Reshaping services where necessary to provide the best patient care and experience
- Transforming services in the community to meet the needs of patients close to where they live, work, and go to school so that we can make sure that only those who are most in need have to go into hospital.