Doctors on CallWhen your surgery is closed your GP will make sure that you can get advice and, if necessary, treatment when you become unwell. This is known as the 'on call' service and is operated by South East London Doctors Co-operative Ltd (SELDOC)
SELDOC operates a 24-hour answering service and provides a duty doctor service between 6.30pm and 8am weekdays and 24-hours on weekends and bank holidays.
If you require urgent help
If you require urgent help and feel you cannot wait until your surgery re-opens, telephone your own doctor’s number and have a pen and paper handy. A message will inform you how to contact the 'on call' service. When you call SELDOC a trained receptionist will take details from you. Please have the following details ready
- Patient's name and address
- Name of patient's doctor
- Details of the medical condition
- Details of any medication being taken
- Details of any special directions to the patient's home
- You will be called back as soon as a doctor is available.
When not to use SELDOC
- Potential life-threatening emergencies such as poisoning. These should be dealt with by ringing 999 for an ambulance
- Non-urgent conditions. If your problem is not urgent, please try to wait until the surgery opens and avoid using the emergency service
- Test results or second opinions for something that you have recently seen your own GP about
- Dental problems. Doctors are not dentists; if you have a dental problem ring your dentist, leave a message and wait for the dentist to contact you. See information on
 accessing dental services, including details of emergency dental advice out of normal surgery hours
- Non-urgent advice or medical information. This can be obtained from NHS Direct, a 24 hour nurse-led advice service on 0845 4647
What happens next
The doctor can
- Offer advice
- Suggest a remedy you can buy from the chemist or arrange a prescription you can collect
- Offer an appointment at one of the bases (These are not walk-in centres. Please ring and speak to a doctor first)
- Arrange a home visit, when thought appropriate by the doctor
- Refer you directly to Accident and Emergency or the Minor Injuries Unit at your local hospital or request an ambulance transfer
- Following your contact with SELDOC, a fax is sent to your GP the next working day with details of any treatment given, so they are aware of what has happened and can action any follow-up required.
A copy of your SELDOC contact follows on for filing in your permanent medical record.
In a great majority of cases
In the majority of cases it is best for patients to see the doctor at SELDOC’s base where the equipment and support for a proper examination are available.
Also, a doctor at the base can see and help three or more patients in the time it takes to do one home visit - so more patients benefit and the waiting time to see a doctor is much shorter for everyone.
There are no facilities within the NHS to transport patients to see the doctor for GP 'on call' services so, in most cases, patients are expected to make their own arrangements to get to an appointment.
SELDOC sympathises with the difficulties this may cause some people, but must emphasise that the doctor's decision to offer a home visit is made on strict medical grounds only.
All calls received at SELDOC are recorded for medical-legal reasons and to ensure high standards.
Can I go to one of the centres without telephoning first?
No. Access to the centre must be strictly by appointment in order that the doctors on duty are expecting you and have details of your medical condition.
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