An emergency is a serious illness or injury that poses an immediate risk to your life or long-term wellbeing.
A non-emergency is an illness or injury that requires treatment but is not immediately life-threatening.
If you find yourself in this situation, it’s better to visit your nearest doctor (General Practitioner) rather than heading straight to the emergency department of your nearest hospital.
Make an appointment by phone or online (if available).
Be sure to get there a few minutes before your appointment time as you may need to fill out some paperwork
The doctor will treat you, and possibly prescribe some medicine or send you on to a specialist
A specialist has additional training in specific medical practices, and can be considered an expert in that area. For example, a dermatologist or orthopaedic surgeon.
If you need to see a specialist, you will need a referral from your GP first.
Sometimes your doctor will prescribe medicine as part of your treatment. You will need to get this from a Chemist. Simply take the prescription (usually printed on a piece of paper) your doctor gives you to the Chemist at your local Pharmacy and they will fill the prescription for you.
