Sometimes you may be worried about your physical or mental health and not know what to do.
You may need to see a nurse or doctor, or even speak to someone about your feelings.
This can often be hard for people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
This page provides information to help you understand how the healthcare system works.
Annual health checks
If you are aged 14 years or older and have a learning disability, you are entitled to a free annual health check.
More information: Annual health checks.
Areas of healthcare
The National Health Service (NHS) is split up into four different healthcare areas. Together they make up what is known as the "healthcare ecosystem".
The areas are:
Primary healthcare
Primary healthcare services provide the first point of contact in the healthcare system, acting as the 'front door' of the NHS.
They include:
- general practice (GP) or doctor
- pharmacy
- dental
- optometry (eye health)
You can find your nearest primary healthcare services on the NHS website.
Secondary healthcare
Secondary healthcare services provide elected and urgent care. Services include:
- pre-arranged surgery
- accident & emergency (A&E) or urgent care
- mental health care
You can find your nearest urgent care services on the NHS website.
Access to secondary healthcare services often requires a referral from a primary healthcare service.
The emergency phonelines 999 and 111 as well as out-of-hours GP services all fall under secondary healthcare.
In an emergency
In an emergency, phone 999 and ask for the ambulance service.
The operator will ask you what the problem is and where you are, including address and postcode. If you are unsure, they will be able to roughly see where you are using phone tracking. To be accurate, you can also use your what3words co-ordinates to help them find you.
You can download the what3words app by visiting your mobile phone’s app store or going to the what3words website.
For non-emergency advice
If you need general medical advice or are unsure where to go, telephone 111.
The operator will ask you questions about what is wrong and will be able to direct you to nearby healthcare services if necessary.
Only call 111 when it's not an emergency.
Tertiary healthcare
Tertiary healthcare services provide highly specialised treatments. They include:
- neurosurgery
- transplants
- plastic surgery
- secure forensic mental health services
Community healthcare
Community healthcare services provide healthcare services within the community. They include:
- district nursing
- home health visitors
- child health services
- sexual health clinics
To find out more information on what healthcare is available in the community, or healthcare in general, you can visit the health section of this website.
