Primary care services in south east Essex

If you need medical help and it is not an emergency, GP practices pharmacies, dentists and opticians in your local community are usually the best places to go to get advice. These are known as ‘primary care’ services.

Your GP practice

In south east Essex there are 54 GP practices that work together in eight groups called primary care networks.

Evening and Saturday GP appointments

You can now access evening and weekend appointments with a GP, nurse or healthcare assistant. The new, improved service will see GP practices working together to offer patients appointments at more convenient times when they call their local practice. 

Depending on where you live, appointments are available from 6:30pm – 8:00pm, Monday to Friday and from 9:00am – 5:00pm on Saturday.

To make an appointment, you can call your own GP practice during normal business hours and ask for an evening or Saturday appointment.

Pharmacies

Community pharmacies can help with minor injuries or give advice on common illnesses.

If you want to find a pharmacy in the area there are plenty to choose from.

Dentists

You can find a dental surgery that’s convenient for you, whether it’s near your home or work, and phone them to see if there are any NHS appointments available.

Dental surgeries will not always have the capacity to take on new NHS patients. You may have to join a waiting list, look for a different dentist who is taking on new NHS patients, or be seen privately.

Once you find a dental surgery, you may have to fill in a registration form at your first visit, which is just to add you to their patient database. But that does not mean you have guaranteed access to an NHS dental appointment in the future.

Dental emergency and out-of-hours care

If you think you need urgent care, contact your usual dentist, if you have one, as some surgeries offer emergency dental appointments and will provide care if clinically necessary.

You can also contact NHS 111, who can put you in touch with an urgent dental service.

Do not contact a GP, as they cannot offer urgent or emergency dental care.

Optician (eye care) services

When you visit an opticians for an eye test, you’ll be examined by an ophthalmic practitioner or optometrist who is trained to recognise abnormalities and conditions, such as cataracts or glaucoma.

Ophthalmic practitioners and optometrists prescribe and fit glasses and contact lenses. If necessary, they’ll refer you to a GP or a hospital eye clinic for further investigations. Sometimes, you’ll be referred to a specialist optometrist for a referral refinement (reassessment).