Emergency GP Appointments for Urgent Mental Health Needs

When Should You Book An Emergency Appointment?

If you're feeling you urgently need a chat about your mental health but believe you can hang in there until you see the doctor, it's a good sign you might want one of these emergency appointments.

How Can They Help?

These appointments let you chat with a doctor without the usual wait. And hey, if it's not your usual GP and you're keen on catching up with them too, just ask! They'll help sort out another appointment.

What's Are They Like?

When you're there, your doc might :

Check in on how you've been feeling lately. They'll want to hear about any ups and downs, any thoughts or events that might have shaken things up a bit.
Share some helpful tips or local places that could help out.
Consider giving or tweaking some meds to help with what you're feeling.
Think about connecting you with some extra hands on deck, like a special support team or maybe even suggesting a short hospital stay.

How To Get One?

If you feel you need to see someone now, they should get you in quickly. They might ask you to wait for a call back to confirm when. Now, you can pop by in person, but usually, it's a good shout to ring them up first.

After the regular hours? No worries! Your nearest doctor might see you, or they might point you to another clinic close by.

And here's a cool thing: Even if you're not their regular patient, GP clinics are all about helping out. If you need more than a day's worth of help, they might just ask you to sign up as a temp.

In England?

Just ring your local GP clinic. If you're not sure where they are, the NHS website has got you. And if by chance they're closed, there'll be a handy message telling you what to do. Or just dial 111 as a solid backup.

In Wales?

Ring up your closest GP clinic. If you're wondering where that is, NHS Direct Wales can guide you. And if they're closed, don't fret; there'll be instructions on what you can do next.

Outside of regular hours? The Health in Wales website can point you to who's available.

You can always rely on 111 too! It's there for you all day, every day. And if mental health is the topic on your mind, hit option 2 after dialing 111.