A&E or walk in emergency centre?

Im guessing it would depend what you are closest to really

We don't have a walk in centre. It was closed because get this IT WAS TOO SUCCESSFUL!!!! Yep you read that right.

We have 1 walk in centre within 30 miles (and 2 hospitals)

It is a doctors surgery Mon-Fri, for registered patients.
On Sat and Sun, it opens 10am -3pm to the public, as a Walk In Centre.

So I don't think it is intended as an alternative to A&E.

The NHS advise "Only call 999 or go to A&E in a genuine life-threatening emergency, such as: loss of consciousness. acute confused state and fits that are not stopping. persistent, severe chest pain".
"Life threatening" seems like very clear advise to me. Perhaps they should put a reminder up at the main entrance.

Walk in centres are for:

• infections and rashes
• blood pressure checks
• fractures and lacerations
• emergency contraception and advice
• stomach aches
• vomiting and diarrhea
• hay fever
• insect and animal bites
• stitches (sutures)
• dressing care
• minor cuts and bruises
• minor burns and strains
• stop smoking support

I think the idea is, even if A&E is closer, don't go there if your problem should be dealt with by a call in centre.

Well I wasn't aware of the existence of walk-in centres, so I've been on the NHS website and searched for one in my area. 5 hospital A&E departments came up but there are no walk in centres, so when I'm advising people what I would do in their situation I would say go to A&E because that's the only option available to me. Also when I broke my sternum and a rib I didn't consider that to be life threatening so I phoned my surgery only to be told to go straight to A&E.

My nearest walk-in centre is a minimum of a thirty-odd mile round trip, whichever way I might head; although to be fair, an A&E would be roughly the same.

A couple of years ago, I cut a thumb very badly with a ceramic knife, chopping onions. It clearly needed more than an Elastoplast, so, at around 6pm, I called my GP surgery to ask if anyone could see me, there and then. . They accommodated me and stitched it up, within moments of getting to the reception desk. That it was virtually closing time, and the amount of blood on the (clean) tea towel I had wrapped around it, probably helped, but I was very impressed. The thought of getting onto the motorway in that state didn't appeal, but I certainly didn't need an ambulance.

I noticed on my GP's updated website that they are promoting a minor injury service now. I'm sure it probably helps with their budgets, but to be honest, I'd rather see someone locally than go cross country with whatever ails me.

Thankfully, I'm usually well, and hope to be able to continue to leave these services untroubled.

Just looked up the Walk in centre for my father's area. Interestingly it is only open weekends, 8am to 8pm.
It says that it is for ' urgent care, larger cuts, sprains and minor injuries.'
It also says
"Remember, if you need urgent care during a weekday please contact your GP surgery"

I was in my GP surgery yesterday with my son and they have a large sign in reception stating that they are NOT a NHS Walk in Centre and everyone has to make an appointment.

We are lucky here to have a well run health centre that has a minor injuries treatment room with a small operating theatre for minor stuff that GP's can do. They are very accommodating and take walk-in emergencies, but they are closed at weekends. There is an urgent care walk-in centre about 14 miles away, and a similar distance to A&E.

I've never heard of a walk in centre near me, but then, I do live in the back of beyond : D

I had an urgent health issue recently ( but not an emergency) and I phoned 111 to see what they said. That way I was pointed to the most appropriate treatment. I spoke to a doctor who assessed me via the phone.

I don't know if anyone else uses that service or how it rates in 'emergency treatment' but I found it very helpful. I also remember my partner phoning something similar years ago when I had Norovirus, a high temp, vomiting and didn't know what to do with my insulin, etc.

donnellysdogs said:

Aaaah but should it be? It should depend on illness really.....

Ie on a posting I read earlier there was advice to go to A&E for infection at an injection site and high levels... Should we be considering that on a weekend A&E are so busy that a walk in centre should be considered?

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It probably should- but good luck finding one close enough actually open to help...

I have found walk in centres are worse than useless, we have one about 6 miles away at the local hospital opening hours 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday during the summer only. Same with its A&E unit.
The one at the local heath centre is the same but is open all year round.
The next nearest is at the main hospital 11 miles away in the A&E unit, I'm not sure of the hours, but as the out of hours Dr's run it you can wait in there for hours if the dr has been called out.
My experience there went like this, I managed to scrape up a large flap of skin on my right shin, I carefully wrapped it in cling film with the flap closed over the wound, now as a prolific bleeder I then wrapped a couple of clean tea towels round it to contain any blood, I arrived at the walk in centre and told the nurse at the desk what I had done, I also told her I was diabetic and on blood thinners, she said take a seat the triage nurse will be with you shortly, 15 mins later the triage nurse took off the towels and cling film allowing a lot of blood to escape and pulled back the bit of skin and left it open, she said wait here the dr needs to see this before I can stitch it,
So 1 hr later the skin is curling up, I'm still bleeding over the floor and my numbers have plummeted to 2-5, my son the went to get me a coke to up my numbers, the nurse says I can't have anything till I've seen the dr, I tell her I'm hypoing and she says why didn't I tell her I was diabetic, a row ensues as I reminded her I had and she had it on the screen I was diabetic on thinners, she then says I should be in A&E across the hall.
So over the hall we go and of course by then, the flap of skin that could have been stitched back has well and truly died so I had to have a piece of plastic skin put on with sterri strips and the healing time was 18 months instead of a few weeks.and endless visits to the nurse at the drs every other day to have the dressing changed,
I now have a huge brown scar on the front of my leg that is not only ugly but has the weirdest sensation when touched, it also has perpetual flaky skin that no amount of moisturising seems to fix.
I still think if you have high numbers and an infection at a injection site, and you are unable to see your own dr the best place is A&E, as I have been told that ketoacidosis is a killer, and with the high numbers and infection that is a possibility, of course I could be wrong but I wouldn't like to take the risk.

I have the attitude of if it's not an accident and it's not an emergency, then A&E is not the place to be. There's 24hr GP cover be it by the GP practice or after hours Drs.

CarbsRok said:

I have the attitude of if it's not an accident and it's not an emergency, then A&E is not the place to be. There's 24hr GP cover be it by the GP practice or after hours Drs.

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True, but fractures are included on the list for walk in centres. They usually occur after accidents. This was why I was scared (yes scared) to go to A&E 18 months ago with a couple of broken bones. We are now told that A&E is basically just E ! I phoned my GP's surgery and was told I had to wait 5 days for an appointment and all the emergency ones at the end of surgery that day were full, so they sent me to A&E. I felt that was the right place all along but as I had seen the adverts on TV saying if it's not a life threatening emergency.....

CarbsRok said:

I have the attitude of if it's not an accident and it's not an emergency, then A&E is not the place to be. There's 24hr GP cover be it by the GP practice or after hours Drs.

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Your attitude is fine if you have access to after hours Drs or 24hr GP cover. For many of us its just a dream, if I phone the after hours drs I am told they will call me back WHEN one becomes available, I could be waiting, and have waited 6hours for a call back, only to be told I should have gone to A&E
I don't know where you live, but unless you live in a big town getting an out of hours dr or 24hr gp is nigh on impossible, as this cover was stopped when they changed the gps contracts a number of years ago, the drs at the aforementioned walk in centre say when an after hours call out is requested they would prefer you to go there.

I actuAlly work as a receptionist at my local hospital and we have an urgent care centre. It is situated in a and e you register at a and e and they then decide if you need a and e or urgent care!!!!! Ringing 111 almost always results in being told to go to A and E anyway. We are always so busy hence my reluctance to go there today with blood sugars of 27 and an abscess at my injection site .

princess69 said:

I actuAlly work as a receptionist at my local hospital and we have an urgent care centre. It is situated in a and e you register at a and e and they then decide if you need a and e or urgent care!!!!! Ringing 111 almost always results in being told to go to A and E anyway. We are always so busy hence my reluctance to go there today with blood sugars of 27 and an abscess at my injection site .

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Well I hope you did go and get help, abscess's are nasty and can lead to blood poisoning, but then you probably know that anyway, which to be honest, is why I didn't understand why you hadn't already gone and got help.