When not to use this service
Clinique Alpa provides private GP consultations by secure video or telephone for problems that are not emergencies. If you or someone with you is seriously ill or badly injured, do not book an appointment. Call 999 now or go to your nearest A&E.
This service is not for emergencies
An online GP consultation is the wrong place for an emergency. We cannot send an ambulance, we cannot examine you, and when minutes matter you should not be waiting for an appointment.
This page sets out plainly where to go when we are not the right service. It is worth two minutes of your time now, so you already know what to do if the situation ever arises.
Clinique Alpa is private healthcare. We work alongside your NHS GP, not instead of them, and with your consent we send a short summary of any consultation to your NHS GP so your records stay joined up.
Call 999 or go to A&E now if any of these apply
This is when to call 999 or go straight to your nearest emergency department (A&E). Do not book an online appointment first, and do not wait to speak to us.
- Chest pain, or a feeling of pressure or tightness in the chest, especially with sweating, sickness, breathlessness, or pain spreading to the arms, neck, jaw or back.
- Severe difficulty breathing, or breathing that is getting worse quickly.
- Signs of a stroke. Use FAST: Face drooping on one side, Arm weakness, Speech that is slurred or muddled, Time to call 999.
- Heavy bleeding that will not stop.
- A severe allergic reaction, with swelling of the mouth, lips, tongue or throat, difficulty breathing, or feeling faint.
- Collapse, loss of consciousness, or a seizure that does not stop.
- Sudden, severe abdominal pain.
- Possible sepsis: acting confused or hard to wake, slurred speech, skin or lips that look blue, grey, pale or blotchy, a rash that does not fade when you press a glass against it, severe shivering or muscle pain, or passing little or no urine.
If you are with someone who needs emergency help, call 999, stay with them, and follow the call handler’s instructions.
Urgent, but not an emergency: contact NHS 111
If you need medical help now and it is not life threatening, contact NHS 111. Call 111, free, at any hour, or use 111.nhs.uk. They will assess the situation and direct you to the right place, which may be an urgent treatment centre, an out of hours service, a pharmacist or A&E.
If you are not sure whether something is an emergency, NHS 111 will tell you. When in doubt, ask them rather than us.
A mental health crisis
Mental health emergencies are emergencies. If someone has seriously harmed themselves, is about to, or their life is at immediate risk, call 999 or go to A&E now.
- For urgent mental health support that is not immediately life threatening, call NHS 111 and select the mental health option. It is available day and night.
- The Samaritans are on 116 123, free from any phone, at any hour. You do not need to be suicidal to call. They will listen.
- If you are worried about someone else, you can call either number on their behalf.
Children: signs that need emergency help
Children can become seriously unwell quickly. Call 999 or go to A&E if your child:
- is limp, floppy, unusually drowsy, or not responding to you as they normally would;
- has skin, lips or tongue that look blue, grey, pale or blotchy. On brown or black skin this can be easier to see on the palms, soles, lips or tongue;
- is struggling to breathe, grunting, breathing very fast, or sucking in under the ribs or at the neck with each breath;
- has a fit or seizure for the first time, or one that does not stop;
- has a rash that does not fade when you press a glass against it;
- is under three months old with a temperature of 38C or higher;
- shows signs of severe dehydration, such as no wet nappies for many hours, sunken eyes, or crying without tears.
You know your child better than anyone. If your instinct says something is seriously wrong, act on it. Nobody sensible will criticise a parent for checking.
If you are worried about abuse or neglect
If a child or an adult is in immediate danger, call 999. Do not wait.
- If there is no immediate danger, you can contact the police on 101, or your local council’s children’s or adults’ social care team. For Palmers Green and the surrounding area, that is Enfield Council.
- For concerns about a child, the NSPCC helpline is 0808 800 5000.
- For domestic abuse, the National Domestic Abuse Helpline is 0808 2000 247, free, at any hour.
If you raise a concern during a consultation, we take it seriously. Our clinicians have a professional duty to act on safeguarding concerns, and we do.
For everything that is not an emergency
If your concern is not urgent, you can book a private online GP consultation for £65, by secure video or telephone. The appointment is unhurried, and same day appointments are often available, subject to availability.