Urgent care and minor injuries
NHS 111 can help if you’re not sure where to go
NHS 111 can help if you’re not sure where to go
Call NHS 111 or visit 111 online. They can direct you to the nearest urgent care service or book an appointment with an out of hours doctor.
If you need urgent medical attention, but it’s not life-threatening you can go to your nearest minor injuries unit (MIU) or urgent treatment centre (UTC) to get care.
The UTC at Victoria Hospital in Lewes is a walk-in centre that assesses and treats patients with any minor injuries or illnesses that are urgent but not life-threatening.
The MIUs at Uckfield Community Hospital and Crowborough War Memorial Hospital treat a range of minor ailments including:
They are open at least 12 hours a day, every day. They deal with conditions such as:
Acute limb injuries including fractures, wounds, sprains and strains (excluding potential hip or thigh fractures)
Minor head injuries including wounds to head and face (excluding children under 1year and those with associated neck injury, loss of consciousness or any vomiting)
Wounds caused by trauma
Foreign bodies in eyes, ear or nose
Rib injuries
Minor back injuries (excluding chronic conditions or major trauma)
Insect and animal bites and stings
Burns and scalds
Removal of splinters
minor scalds and burns
Suturing (stitch up) wounds (excluding eyes, nose and lips)
Minor injuries and urgent treatment centres in East Sussex
Urgent care for infants and children
It can be difficult to know when to take your child to the emergency department (A&E).
Take your child to the Emergency Department if they have
a fever and are still sluggish (floppy), despite having paracetamol or ibuprofen
severe tummy (abdominal) pain
a leg or arm injury and cannot use the limb
swallowed a poison or tablets
Call an ambulance if your child:
stops breathing
is struggling for breath (for example, you may notice them breathing fast, panting, becoming very wheezy, or see the muscles just under their ribcage sucking in when they breathe in)
is unconscious or seems unaware of what’s going on
has a cut that will not stop bleeding or is gaping open
will not wake up
has a fit for the first time, even if they seem to recover.
Child first aid
Visit the NHS website for first aid advice for burns, cuts, swallowing non-edible objects/substances and more.
Useful NHS links
The NHS A-Z of health conditions gives advice on how to treat various conditions at home before seeking medical help.