Emergency and urgent treatment

If you or someone you care for feels unwell, you should phone 111 first. You’ll get advice on where to go for treatment and might be directed to an emergency department or urgent treatment centre. You can also contact 111 online.

Phone 999 if you, or anyone you live with, has symptoms of a serious illness or injury such as:

  • a heart attack
  • severe pain
  • a stroke
  • severe bleeding

If you do not speak English, you can state your language and the operator will arrange a translator for the call.

If you call 999 an operator will ask you “Which service?”. You can answer:

  • ambulance
  • police 
  • fire 
  • coastguard

Emergency departments or A&E (Accidents & Emergencies) are hospital departments that deal with life-threatening emergencies. Emergency departments are open all the time (24 hours a day, 7 days a week). They are not an alternative to a GP appointment.

Emergency department in Brighton & Hove

Royal Sussex County Hospital
Eastern Road
Brighton, BN2 5BE

Alternatively, you can visit an NHS walk-in centre, also called Urgent Treatment Centre, which treats minor illnesses and injuries without an appointment.

Urgent treatment centres in Brighton & Hove

Brighton Station NHS Walk-in Centre

Aspect House
84 to 87 Queens Road
Brighton
BN1 3XE

Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital (for children aged 17 and under)

Eastern Road
Brighton
BN2 5BE

Registering with a doctor  

You are entitled to free care and treatment from the National Health Service (NHS).

We recommend you register with a local doctor (known as a GP, which is short for General Practitioner) as soon as possible.

You can find advice on registering with a GP from the NHS.

Your host may help you to register with their own local doctor (GP).

This is your access point to all your physical and mental health needs, including specialist health needs.

The waiting times for GP or specialist doctor appointments vary, so if you think you’re having an emergency you should refer to the section above.

To get a same-day appointment with your GP or a nurse you might need to call early in the morning. Ask your GP to find out more about this option.

You can find translated information about NHS services on the Doctors of the World website. 

Pharmacies

Pharmacists (chemists) can also advise on treatments for minor health problems.

Some medicines, such as antibiotics, cannot be purchased over the counter in a pharmacy. To obtain these you need a ‘prescription’ – a piece of paper with information about what you need from your doctor. You take the prescription to a pharmacist who will provide the medicine.

Alternatively, your GP sends the prescription straight to a nominated pharmacy, where you pick it up.

Prescriptions are free for some people including most people who receive benefits.

You can find out if you qualify for a free prescription on the NHS website.

Maternity and birth care

If you are pregnant or about to become pregnant, tell your GP as soon as you are registered. You can also phone the Community Midwives office on 01273 664 794 to find out more about pregnancy support services. 

Your GP or midwife will arrange checks and personal care during pregnancy, birth, and the weeks after.

Sure Start Maternity Grant (SSMG)

Sure Start Maternity Grant is a £500 payment to help with the costs of a new baby.

New regulations came into force on 8 June 2023, introducing a change, whereby people with a child or children from before they arrived in the UK, can claim an SSMG if they were resident in Ukraine immediately before 1 January 2022 and they left because of the Russian invasion which happened on 24 February 2022.

Find out more on the Sure Start Maternity Grant pages on the government website.

Dentists 

NHS dentists are usually more affordable but can be hard to find. Not all treatments are available on the NHS. For example, if a treatment is just to improve the appearance of your teeth it will not be covered.

Your dentist must tell you which treatments can be given on the NHS, and which can only be given privately.

Those entitled to completely free dentistry include:

  • people aged under 18, or under 19 and in qualifying full-time education
  • pregnant women or women who have had a baby in the previous 12 months
  • people in receipt of certain benefits or on a low income

Find out who is entitled to free NHS dental treatment in England.

If you can pay you can register with a private dental practice near you.

Emergency dentistry should be provided by an NHS dentist near you, or there is an emergency out of hours dentist.

Find information about NHS Brighton & Hove’s emergency dentists.

Eye Care

To book an eyesight test or get help with your glasses or contact lenses you can make an appointment with an optician on your high street. These tend to provide eye care, hearing care and vision health advice as well as sell glasses.

There may be costs unless you are eligible for a free NHS eyesight test or optical vouchers. Find out if you are eligible for a free NHS sight test or an optical voucher.

Emotional support 

We understand that you have been through a very traumatic time and been exposed to huge mental stress. If you feel like you’re struggling, experience issues with your sleep or need to talk about your experiences, use the links below to get help.

Find advice and information on accessing local mental health services on the NHS Brighton & Hove Wellbeing Service support for refugees webpage. 

The Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has information on emotional support for refugees. 

Barnardo’s has set up a Ukrainian support helpline for anyone fleeing the conflict in Ukraine offering advice, practical support and access to therapy.  

Child Bereavement UK helps children, parents and families to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies. They offer some of their resources on supporting bereaved children into Ukrainian.  

The Sussex Mindfulness Centre offers mindfulness training for refugees and asylum seekers. 

The Phoenix Therapy Practice offers free emotional support to Ukrainian refugees living in Brighton & Hove. This can be individual or in a group.

You can contact the practice for an initial appointment. 

You can:

BERTS is a dedicated trauma service hosted by Brighton & Hove CBT, for refugees, asylum seekers and destitute migrants in Sussex. BERTS is a no-cost service. It is a purely voluntary service run for the benefit of the community.

BERTS offer free specialist trauma counselling and psychotherapy to local people to help them come to terms with their relocation in the UK, after what can be very difficult experiences for themselves and their families in their countries of origin. All of the staff are unpaid and volunteer their time for free.

To learn more about trauma, how it affects you and how to manage it, see trauma and PTSD psychoeducational resources translated into Ukrainian, English, Russian and Polish.

Resources for survivors of sexual violence 

Survivors Network is a national charity which offers a range of professional relevant services (such as advocacy and counselling), to survivors of any gender aged 14+, who have experienced any form of sexual violence. 

Adult social care 

If you require additional health, wellbeing, counselling or social support or advice, explore our Health and Adult Social Care directory. 

Support with daily activities 

If you are disabled or previously received support to do daily activities like dressing or making meals, contact us and we will try to arrange support for you. 

To contact us: