What to do when we’re closed.

If this is a medical emergency

Call 999 immediately or go to your nearest A&E. The Royal London Hospital (Whitechapel) is your nearest major Emergency Department, just 200 metres from our clinic. Do not wait for us to reopen and do not message us if life is at risk. Every second counts.

What counts as an emergency

Call 999 or attend A&E immediately if you or someone with you has any of the following:

• Chest pain, pressure or tightness lasting more than a few minutes
• Difficulty breathing or sudden shortness of breath
• Sudden weakness, numbness, or difficulty speaking (signs of a stroke — use the FAST test)
• Severe bleeding that won’t stop
• Loss of consciousness, fainting, or fitting (seizure)
• Severe allergic reaction (swelling of the face, throat, or difficulty breathing)
• Thoughts of suicide, self-harm, or harm to others
• Severe abdominal pain, especially with vomiting blood or passing blood
• Head injury with loss of consciousness, persistent vomiting, or confusion
• A baby or young child who is unusually drowsy, floppy, or hard to wake
• Any other situation where you feel life is at risk

Your nearest A&E departments are:

• The Royal London Hospital — Whitechapel Road, E1 1FR (200m from the clinic, immediately opposite)
• St Bartholomew’s Hospital — West Smithfield, EC1A 7BE (cardiac specialist, 2km)
• Homerton University Hospital — Homerton Row, E9 6SR (3km)

If it’s urgent but not life-threatening

Examples: persistent fever in a child, a worsening infection, an injury that needs same-day attention, mental health distress that isn’t an emergency, or any health concern where you’re not sure how serious it is.

• Call NHS 111 — free, 24/7, available in over 200 languages. A trained advisor will assess the situation and direct you to the right care.
• NHS 111 online at 111.nhs.uk — useful if you can’t speak comfortably (children sleeping, sensitive issue, etc.)
• Nearest NHS Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC): The Royal London UCC, open 24/7, in the Royal London Hospital main building.
• Out-of-hours pharmacy: Whitechapel has several pharmacies open late. Use NHS Find a Pharmacy to locate one open now.

For mental health support

If you or someone close to you is in mental health crisis — not life-threatening but in serious distress — please use these routes:

• NHS 111, option 2 — mental health crisis line for Tower Hamlets, 24/7
• Samaritans — call 116 123, free, 24/7
• Shout (text-based crisis support) — text SHOUT to 85258, free, 24/7
• Papyrus HOPELINE247 (for under-35s) — 0800 068 4141, 24/7

If there is immediate risk to life, please call 999 or go to A&E.

How to reach us out of hours

When the clinic is closed, you can still:

• Book Now at any time at our online booking page. Appointments are available from 9am the next day.
• Call us on 020 7916 0029 — an AI-assisted line answers 24/7 for messages, bookings and general questions. It identifies itself as an AI assistant and does not give clinical advice — if your problem is urgent it will direct you to call 999 or attend A&E. A member of our clinical team follows up the next working day.
• Email info@towerbridgehospital.co.uk — we read this every working day from 9am.
• WhatsApp 07903 284 189 — convenient for non-urgent questions. Responses next working day.

Please remember: out-of-hours messages do not reach a clinician until the next working day. If you need a clinical decision tonight, use NHS 111 or A&E.

Treatments out of hours

If you need medication refilled urgently and the clinic is closed:

• For ongoing repeat treatment from your NHS GP: contact NHS 111 to find an emergency duty pharmacy.
• For ongoing private treatment originally arranged by Tower Bridge Hospital London: send us a message via the routes above — we’ll respond at 9am next working day.
• For acute new symptoms: do not wait. Use NHS 111 or A&E.

We don’t issue private treatments outside clinic hours, and we don’t prescribe without first assessing the patient in person.

Existing patients with ongoing concerns

If you’re an existing our patient with an ongoing condition (for example, weight management, ADHD, or any long-term care plan), and you have a concern about your treatment outside clinic hours:

• For symptoms you think are caused by treatment side effects: call NHS 111 if symptoms are significant. They have access to medicines information and can advise.
• For non-urgent treatment questions: send us a message (call, email or WhatsApp). We’ll respond next working day.
• For severe or unexpected reactions: 999 or A&E. Mention any medication you’ve recently started.

A note on safety

We are a primary and outpatient care clinic. We do not provide 24-hour emergency care, intensive care, or inpatient services. If your situation needs any of those, the NHS is the right route — not us. There is no embarrassment in using A&E or 111; that’s exactly what they’re there for.

This page

This page is part of our commitment to patient safety and follows CQC Regulation 12 (safe care and treatment). It is reviewed every six months or whenever local NHS services change.