A&E or urgent treatment centre?
Most people who go to A&E with a minor injury could have been treated sooner elsewhere. The table says where each problem belongs. If you are in any doubt about a serious symptom, choose A&E or 999.
| The problem | Go to |
|---|---|
| Cuts that need stitches, minor burns and scalds | Urgent treatment centre |
| Sprains, strains and suspected simple fractures (wrist, ankle, fingers) | Urgent treatment centre |
| Minor head injury with no loss of consciousness, no vomiting | Urgent treatment centre |
| Insect bites, rashes, minor infections, ear and throat pain | Urgent treatment centre or pharmacy |
| Chest pain, breathing difficulty, heavy bleeding that will not stop | A&E or 999 |
| Stroke signs: face drooping, arm weakness, slurred speech | 999 |
| Severe abdominal pain, suspected broken hip or thigh, bone through the skin | A&E |
| Loss of consciousness, a fit that does not stop, severe allergic reaction | 999 |
| Mental health crisis | NHS 111 (option 2) or A&E if there is immediate danger |
| A child under one who is unwell, or any child who is floppy or hard to wake | A&E or 999 |
What an urgent treatment centre can do
X-rays for suspected fractures, stitches and glue for cuts, dressings and burns care, antibiotics and prescriptions, tetanus and simple splints and casts. Staff are GPs, nurse practitioners and emergency nurse practitioners. They cannot admit you to a ward: anything that may need surgery, a specialist or an overnight stay goes to A&E.
What only A&E can do
CT and MRI scans at night, blood transfusion, resuscitation, specialist doctors on call, admission to a bed, and treatment of anything that threatens life, limb or sight.
Find the nearest of either
The live A&E panel on this site includes urgent treatment centres and minor injury units where their trust publishes waits, with the kind of unit marked. See live waits, or type your postcode on the A&E page for the nearest departments.
What happens at A&E. Quietest times at A&E. Taking a child to A&E.