The Emergency service will respond immediately to those people who are acutely ill, or have life or limb-threatening problems.
The majority of people, however, who attend the Emergency Department have minor, non-life-threatening or non- limb-threatening injuries and illnesses.
It is important that people with such minor injuries/illnesses consider which part of the health service is most appropriate for them.
Deciding whether to go to the Emergency Department your general practitioner (GP) or using an out of hours doctor service can be difficult, especially when you are worried.
The NHS Direct help lines can help people to make decisions about which service is most appropriate for their problem. We have put links to the NHS Direct website at the end of each of our web pages and encourage people to find high-quality information about health issues on this website.
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