If you require a GP outside of normal opening hours, please contact the GP out of hours service. The service is available Mondays to Fridays between 6.30pm and 8am, and 24 hours a day on weekends and bank holidays.

The service can be contacted on 03336 664 664.

Please note that this service is only for patients whose condition cannot safely wait until the next working day and who need advice or treatment from a doctor or nurse.

Patients living in in Brackley and surrounding villages can also use Oxford Urgent Care Service on 0845 345 8995 - same hours as above. 

Patients in the Oundle and Wansford area can also use the Peterborough-based Out of Hours GP service – Pedoc on 01733 293838 - same hours as above.

Who will I speak to?

You will be contacting the Northamptonshire Out of Hours GP service. You will talk to a locally based and qualified call handler who will ask a set of questions to decide if:

• your problem can wait until your surgery next opens
• your problem can be dealt with over the phone by a nurse or doctor
• you need to attend one of the clinical bases 
• you need an emergency ambulance 

If your condition is not urgent, you may be referred to another service such as NHS Direct, or asked to contact your surgery during normal opening hours. We may advise you to visit a pharmacist.

As well as offering the core service you would expect from your GP, we can also help treat minor injuries such as cuts, sprains and strains, broken bones (fractures), splinters, bites and stings, infected wounds, minor bumps to the head, minor eye infections, foreign bodies and scratches, minor burns and scalds, and nose injuries.

Giving you advice over the phone

Most cases can be dealt with over the phone. Your call will be passed to either a nurse or doctor for advice. Keep your phone line free when you are waiting for a call from us. Have your NHS card and your medicines with you when you contact us and bring them if you are invited to see a doctor or nurse.

Attending a clinical base

If your problem can’t be resolved over the phone you will be invited to attend one of the clinical bases.

Why do I have to go to Northamptonshire Out of Hours instead of getting a home visit?

We visit patients who are terminally ill and those who are truly housebound, frail and seriously unwell, and those for whom travelling by car would cause deterioration in their medical condition.

It is safe to bring an unwell child to one of our clinical bases if the doctor or nurse asks you to attend for an appointment.

Can you wait for your surgery to re-open?

If your problem is not urgent, please contact NHS Direct or your local pharmacist for advice. If NHS Direct or a pharmacist assess that you need urgent care from our service, they can contact us directly. Think about the other services mentioned in this leaflet.

Your pharmacist...

...is an expert on medicines and is qualified to give advice on common complaints, such as coughs, colds, flu, sore throats aches and pains

Emergency contraception ...

if you need the ‘morning after pill’, you will find that many pharmacies sell this over the counter after a consultation with the pharmacist. Some can provide it on the NHS.

Repeat prescriptions ...

...if you run out of medication when the surgery is closed, please always contact your usual pharmacist who will advise you and may be able to issue the medicine you require.

Dental emergencies

  If you have an urgent dental problem, please contact your nearest NHS 8 to 8 Dental Centre, open 8am to 8pm, 365 days a year:

• Corby: 01536 401925
• Kettering: 01536 525436 
• Northampton: 01604 639296

For more information click here.

If you do suffer a minor injury when your surgery is closed, as well as calling us you can visit:

Lakeside Plus 8-8 Centre
Willowbrook Health Complex, Cottingham Road, Corby NN17 2UW
Open 8am-8pm, 365 days a year
Tel: 01536 204154.

This is a nurse-led minor illness service where you can walk in without an appointment.

Corby Minor Injuries Unit
Willowbrook Health Complex Cottingham Road Corby NN17 2UW
Open 8am-6pm Monday-Friday and 9am-6pm, Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays
Tel: 01536 400600

You will be seen more quickly than at A&E, where staff have to concentrate on more serious cases.

Accident & Emergency and 999 are for serious injuries and life-threatening emergencies only. If you or someone else experiences severe chest pain, loss of blood or suspected broken bones, go to your nearest A&E department or call 999.

Northamptonshire Out of Hours is provided by South East Health Ltd, a not for profit membership organisation of some 600 GPs, with a Board of Directors comprised of both GPs and experienced executives with a background in the health and care sector. The Northamptonshire Out of Hours service is managed locally, operating out of the bases throughout the county.

More information about South East Health Ltd is available on their website at www.southeasthealth.com