The Urgent Care Service Fife (UCSF) was formerly known as the Primary Care Emergency Service and is sometimes referred to as the Out of hours service. This service also incorporates the Fife Falls Response Service.
UCSF provides urgent care to the people of Fife and Kinross when GP surgeries are closed. Contact with the service is via NHS24 (freephone 111). Urgent care is provided by a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals.
UCSF is accessible to anyone requiring urgent medical care that cannot wait until their GP surgery re-opens. The service aims to ensure that members of the public can get medical help during the out of hours period when surgeries are closed, via telephone advice, a treatment centre appointment or, where appropriate, a home visit.
Our mission statement is:
- It is the aim of the Urgent Care Service is to provide a safe and effective healthcare service for out of hours urgent care.
- To be person centred whilst working in partnership with patients and the public.
- To build upon existing models of care, partnership working, expertise and experience through continuous development and assessment.
- Committed to protecting the Confidentiality of patient information.
Urgent Care is provided between 18.00 hrs and 08.00 hrs on weekdays and 24 hour cover over all weekends at one of our 3 treatment centres. The service also provides 24 hour care on 8 Public Holidays per year (including Easter, May, October, Christmas and New Year.
Urgent care service management and administration team
The following staff are based at Glenrothes Hospital (office hours) and deal with the day to day issues ensuring a smooth delivery of service operations.
| Service Manager: | Lisa Milligan |
| Lead Nurse: | Lynnette Marshal |
| Clinical Lead for Professional Develpoment: | Dr Babar Akbar |
| Service Support Managers: | Pamela Mitchell, Elaine Mitchell |
| Administration Support Team: | Ann Barrett, Carie Drummond, Pauline McManus, Andrea Masson |
In the out of hours period the following staff provide core administration support to the service:
Dispatcher:
The Dispatcher receives contacts electronically (via a system called ADASTRA) from NHS24 and is responsible for allocating these to the most appropriate healthcare professional for consultations at treatment centres or home visits, taking into account the needs of the patient and location of available clinical staff. Dispatchers have a lead role in supervising call handlers and receptionists in four different locations.
Call Handler:
The Call Handler will receive incoming calls to the Control Centre, from NHS24, professional to professional lines. They will call patients directly and allocate appointments to an appropriate centre checking demographic information.
Receptionist:
The Receptionist will meet and greet patients attending appointments within treatment centres and help provide 24-hour clerical / reception support for Urgent Care Service Fife.
Fife Falls Response Service
If patients fall in their own homes and cannot get up but are uninjured, their GP, NHS24 or the Emergency Services can call on a special Falls Response team at any time of the day or night. The service is available to people in Fife who:
- have fallen in the home environment
- have no visible signs of injury
- are aware of their surroundings
- are able to move without causing / increasing pain
- have no physically able person(s) who could, with guidance, assist them to rise from the floor
- See Falls information leaflet
Urgent Care FAQs Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Can I bypass NHS24 and contact UCSF directly?
A: No. If you are unwell, and you cannot wait until your GP is open you must call NHS24 on freephone 111. An NHS24 call handler will take your details and then a Nurse Advisor will assess your need. He/she will give you advice and may arrange for the local team to call you back to arrange an appointment or for a local clinician to call you.
Q: Who will I see if I need medical care out of hours in Fife?
A: Urgent Care Service Fife (UCSF) provides care to patients in Fife and Kinross in the Out of Hours period. This means that when your own GP is closed in the evening, overnight and at weekends we will care for you. A GP, nurse or paramedic who has had extra training to work in UCSF will see you. A GP, nurse or paramedic who has had extra training to work in UCSF will see you.
Q: Where will I be seen?
A: UCSF has 3 centres all over across Fife. If you need to be seen in a centre, someone from UCSF will contact you with an appointment time in the centre that best meets your clinical need.
Q: Can I request a home visit?
A: It is nearly always best to be seen in a centre, where we have access to more equipment and staff. If this is not possible for medical reasons, or inappropriate (e.g. the patient is receiving end of life care at home), we will make other arrangements to provide assessment. Where there is a medical need for a home visit, we will do our best to attend promptly within agreed time stratifications dependent on clinical assessment.