Your urgent out of hours GP service for patients of participating practices
NEDOC Ltd is an appointment-based urgent out of hours GP service, available to you when your own surgery has closed in the evening and at weekends.
NEDOC is not a replacement for the Emergency Services. If you have a medical emergency please ring 999 or 112 immediately. When you ring NEDOC a trained receptionist will take your details, including your name, address and date of birth, your telephone number, the symptoms of illness/complaint, the name of your own GP’s and medical card details if applicable in order to provide their details and receive an appointment. No call will be passed onto the Triage Nurse without this information. Receptionists are trained to identify urgent calls and refer them quickly to triage.
Users of the service must ring 1800 777 911 in order to make an appointment. NEDOC is NOT a walk-in service.
All calls to NEDOC are triaged to discuss with you the best course of action which may be one of the below preferences.
NEDOC is Not a Replacement for the Emergency Services
You can ring NEDOC on 1800 777 911 if you want to receive advice from the triage nurse. You may not wish to see a doctor, nor may you need to see a doctor. Contacting the triage nurse may be all you need to satisfy yourself that you are managing your medical situation correctly.
On contacting NEDOC and discussing the medical issue, you may not need to attend a centre. However in some instances the nurse may advise that you do come into a centre.
Details of your phone consultation are automatically forwarded to your own doctor before their surgery opens.
If the triage nurse considers that you, or your family member, need to be seen, you will be advised to attend the nearest centre. You will be asked if you have a medical card, and if so to bring it with you. If you do not have a medical card or GP visit card you will be advised of the consultation fee so you are aware of this from an early stage.
The triage nurse will forward the details of your phone consultation to the treatment centre so your arrival will be expected. When you arrive your details will be checked and the doctor on duty will see you as quickly as possible.
Please be patient if there is a queue. Urgent cases receive priority and you are asked to respect the decision of the on duty nurse or doctor in this regard.
Children with temperatures and the usual common childhood illnesses are best seen by a doctor in a well-equipped centre rather than at home. Please respect the decision of the nurse on this matter.
Details of your consultation are automatically forwarded to your own doctor before their surgery opens.
Home visits are for terminally ill, bed bound patients and those who cannot travel, as it would cause pain or worsen their condition. A doctor may visit a seriously ill patient for other reasons such as heart attack, severe shortness of breath or serious bleeding and this decision is made by the nurse triager during the phone consultation.
If a home visit is necessary, specially equipped vehicles with experienced drivers are on hand to support the doctors on call.
North East Doctor on Call is not an “On-call” service to provide home visits on request, nor are home visits provided if the patient has no transport.
Home visits may not be given to patients who are not registered with a local GP or who are registered with a GP that is not part of the NEDOC service. Priority is given to patients of participating practices.
Details of your consultation are automatically forwarded to your own doctor before their surgery opens.
When you ring and speak to the nurse, you may be advised to attend the ED. This advice is given in your best interests and you are asked to take this on board.
You may also be referred onto the ED by the duty doctor who may consider your condition sufficiently serious to warrant further investigation by the ED team. In this instance the duty doctor will either give you a letter of referral or will fax a referral letter directly to the relevant Emergency Department.
NEDOC is not a replacement for the Emergency Services. If you have a medical emergency please ring 999 or 112 immediately.
Hard of Hearing
NEDOC operates a Deaf Texting system which allows patients from the North East Region, and who have a hearing impairment, to contact the GP out-of-hours service and receive notice of an appointment.
This service is only for patients who have a hearing impairment/who are deaf. Patients must register on the system to use this service.
Registration Process
Procedure for using the Deaf Texting Service
NEDOC provides urgent out of hours care to all patients of participating practices on the basis of need and irrespective of whether patients are public or private. Patients who are registered with a doctor who is not a member of NEDOC should contact their own doctors out of hours contact number by ringing their own GP surgery and an answering machine will provide the correct out of hours contact number for them.
However unregistered patients must first register with a local GP who is a member of NEDOC before having access to NEDOC.
If you have a medical card (GMS card) or a GP Visit Card, you should bring it with you to the treatment centre or have it available to present to the doctor who attends you in your home. If you do not have your medical card/GP visit card and if your name is not confirmed as a public patient on the GMS system at the centre you will be charged a fee for your visit.
If you do not have a medical card or a GP visit card a fee is applicable for your consultation. All patients are informed at the point of triage about the cost of the service as a courtesy point of information. Patients who do not have a medical card or GP visit card are expected to pay for their consultation.
Fees are as follows:
– Treatment Centre Consultation €70
– GP Phone Consultation €70
– Home Visits €120
If you have applied for a medical card and/or GP visit card, but attend the centre prior to receiving the card, then the fee for the consultation applies and must be paid.
Patients who are new to an area should register with a local GP to ensure that the long term health of their family is being looked after. Registration with a local GP establishes a medical history of a family which will include access to childhood vaccinations, immunisation schemes and screening programmes.
North East Doctor on Call does not manage your long term health. Although we hold the records of your NEDOC consultation, we are not an alternative to a day time GP, nor are we a convenient source of GP care. NEDOC is not a provider of second opinions.
If you are registered with a doctor outside the region, or a doctor who is not part of the NEDOC co-op, then you must contact your own doctor for your urgent out of hours needs – you can do this by ringing the surgery and the answer machine should provide their out of hours contact number. NEDOC has no obligation to offer appointments to unregistered patients.
We strongly recommend you register with a local GP if you have not already done so.
The service is provided by local GPs who are members of NEDOC, and whose patients can contact NEDOC if they are in need of urgent GP care. The service is provided in collaboration with the HSE and a separate nurse triaging company. NEDOC GPs do not provide telephone advice.
If you do not have a medical card or a GP visit card a fee is applicable for your consultation. All patients are informed at the point of triage that there is a cost if you do not have a medical card. Patients who do not have a medical card or GP visit card must pay for their consultation.
Fees are as follows:
– Treatment Centre Consultation €70
– GP Phone Consultation €70
– Home Visit €120
If you have applied for a medical card and/or GP visit card, but attend the centre prior to receiving the card, then the fee for the consultation applies and must be paid.
NEDOC duty doctors can only access records of your previous attendance(s) at NEDOC. Doctors do not have access to your own surgery medical records. They may therefore have to ask you questions about your medical history during your consultation.
NEDOC doctors do not issue repeat prescriptions. If you require a repeat prescription you must contact your own GP.
Yes. NEDOC is not a walk-in service. Please ring 1800 777 911 to make an appointment.
When you ring, a trained receptionist will take your personal details.
Your call will be referred to a triage nurse who will ring you back.
Discuss with the triage nurse whether you need advice, an appointment or referral to the Emergency Department.Cavan: General Hospital
Castleblayney: Bree Road, Castleblayney
Drogheda: Cottage Hospital, Scarlett Street, Drogheda
Navan: Our Lady’s Hospital, Navan
