Your guide to getting health care in Crawley
We’re here for you

The information here is for people in Crawley to know more about their local health services and how to access them.
It has been developed by the NHS in partnership with communities across Crawley.
In addition to information that will be useful for everyone, there are also specific pages for armed forces veterans, people affected by homelessness and rough sleeping, and refugees and asylum seekers.
The information has also been produced as a series of booklets and leaflets in 13 languages.

How the NHS works
Everyone in the UK can register and receive free care from a local family doctor. A family doctor is a qualified medical General Practitioner, or GP for short. They usually work from a medical centre, often called a GP surgery. Your GP surgery is usually the first point of contact for ongoing health concerns and they are responsible for looking after your long-term
health and care.
If you need tests or scans or specialist hospital treatment, these will usually be requested by your GP. If you need health care beyond what a GP can provide, they will refer you into the right healthcare service. This is called secondary care and is mostly provided within a hospital. Once you have been referred, you will receive information from the health service
directly with arrangements for an appointment.

There are some services that you can access directly. These include dentists and opticians, sexual health, family planning and help if you are experiencing stress, anxiety or low mood.
If you are not sure, or need medical advice, the NHS 111 telephone line offers free expert health information and advice. You can ask for an interpreter in your language by saying “interpreter please”.

You can also visit 111.nhs.uk. You can also speak with your local pharmacy for advice
for things like common colds or flu.
For medical problems that cannot wait but are not life-threatening, the Crawley Urgent Treatment Centre is open 24/7. You can book an appointment through NHS 111 or walk in and wait to be seen by a doctor or nurse.

If you experience a life-threatening medical emergency, call 999 from any phone, this is a free emergency number for an ambulance, or you can go straight to A&E if you are able to.

Get help to keep healthy
There are many ways you and your family can keep healthy and happy. Many long-term health issues, like heart conditions and diabetes, build up over time.
They do not have to be inevitable and can be prevented by small changes to improve your health and wellbeing.

Crawley Wellbeing is a free service offering individual appointments, information and advice from trained wellbeing advisors on a range of health and wellbeing issues.
These include:
help to stop smoking or drink less alcohol,
advice on nutrition and how to lose weight,
as well as how to get more active.
The Crawley Wellbeing team are based at K2 Crawley, RH11 9BQ, Mon-Fri 9am-5pm. Find out more and book a face-to-face, online or telephone appointment via the Crawley Wellbeing website or call 01293 585317. They also have a mobile unit out and about in the local area. Find details of the Crawley Wellbeing mobile unit’s locations.

Crawley Community Action offer a free and confidential service to put you in touch with local groups and activities that could make a positive difference to your life.
This includes support with:
finance,
work,
training,
bereavement,
caring responsibilities,
anxiety or depression,
living with a long tern health condition, and
feeling lonely or isolated.
To find out more, call 01293 657 000 or email info@crawleycommunityaction.org