Emergency room (urgencias) or health centre (centro de salud)?

Terms used

• Urgencias — Urgencias is the hospital emergency department, open day and night.
• Centro de salud — The centro de salud is your local public health centre, where your family doctor and nurse see you.
• Cita previa — A cita previa is an appointment booked in advance, by phone, app or website.
• PAC — The PAC (Punto de Atención Continuada) is a regional out-of-hours care point for non-severe problems.
• SUAP — The SUAP (Servicio de Urgencias de Atención Primaria) is the out-of-hours primary care point in some regions, such as Madrid.
• DCCU — The DCCU is the out-of-hours care and emergency service in Andalusia.

Key rules

• True emergency: Call 112 or go straight to urgencias; never wait for an appointment.
• Urgencias: Open 24 hours a day with no appointment or referral, but minor problems wait after triage.
• Ambulance: If an ambulance takes you, the emergency coordination centre picks the hospital, not you.
• Out of hours: When the centro de salud is closed, use your area's PAC or SUAP before urgencias if the problem is not severe.

If it could be life-threatening, call 112 or go to urgencias

• chest pain or pressure, or a suspected heart attack
• signs of a stroke: a drooping face, a weak arm, trouble speaking, sudden loss of vision or a sudden severe headache
• severe difficulty breathing
• loss of consciousness or seizures
• severe or uncontrolled bleeding
• major injuries or severe burns
• a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis)
• poisoning or overdose
• sudden severe abdominal pain
• high fever with confusion or a stiff neck, especially in babies
• a mental-health crisis with risk of self-harm

112 is free and is the single European emergency number. Operators can handle calls in several languages. Some regions also have a 061 health line.

Hospital urgencias: open all the time, but not for minor problems

Hospital urgencias are open 24 hours a day. You need no appointment and no referral from a GP. Staff sort patients on arrival (triage), so a minor problem waits behind more urgent cases. Waits for minor problems can be long.

In an emergency you can go to any hospital's urgencias, and none may refuse urgent care. Most people go to their nearest or reference hospital. If an ambulance takes you, you do not choose the hospital. The coordination centre decides.

Centro de salud: the first stop for problems that are not severe

For a non-severe problem, such as a fever in an adult, an infection or a minor injury, use your centro de salud during opening hours. Many open on weekdays from about 8:00 to 15:00, and some run afternoon shifts until about 21:00. Hours differ by region and by centre.

Book a cita previa by phone, app or website. If the problem cannot wait, ask for a same-day appointment, or say it is "urgente". The desk or a nurse decides how urgent it is. The doctor then sees you that day or fits you in at the end of the surgery.

Evenings, nights and weekends: the out-of-hours point

When your centro de salud is closed, go to the out-of-hours point for your area. It is called PAC or SUAP in most regions. Other names include DCCU in Andalusia. It usually runs on weekdays from about 15:00 or 20:00 until 8:00 the next morning. It runs 24 hours on weekends and public holidays. Some city points are open 24 hours.

Find the name, address and hours for your area on your regional health service website, ideally before you need it.

Quick way to decide

2. Is it a non-severe problem and the centro de salud is open? Ask for a same-day appointment.
3. Is the centro de salud closed? Go to the out-of-hours point.
4. Is the out-of-hours point closed or far away, and the problem cannot wait? Go to urgencias.

The decision tool, checklist and warnings below go through the same choices.

Choosing between options

Where should you go for this health problem right now?

• Call 112 or go straight to urgencias: You have chest pain, signs of stroke, severe breathing difficulty, fainting or seizures, heavy bleeding, major injury or severe burns, a severe allergic reaction, poisoning, sudden severe abdominal pain, high fever with confusion or a stiff neck, or a mental-health crisis with risk of self-harm.

• Centro de salud (health centre): The problem is not severe and it is a weekday during opening hours.

• Out-of-hours point (PAC or SUAP): The problem is not severe, but your centro de salud is closed, in the evening, overnight, or on weekends and public holidays.

• Hospital urgencias for a non-severe problem: No out-of-hours point is open or near you and the problem cannot wait until your centro de salud opens. Expect to wait behind more urgent cases.

If the symptoms could threaten life or health within hours, call 112 or go to urgencias at once. Otherwise use your centro de salud while it is open and the out-of-hours point after it closes.

Checklist

• Look up the opening hours of your centro de salud (health centre). Many open on weekdays from about 8:00 to 15:00 or from about 15:00 to 21:00, depending on your doctor's shift.

• Book a cita previa (appointment) by phone, app or website before you go.

• Ask for a same-day appointment (cita para el mismo día, or "urgente") if the problem cannot wait.

• Find the name and address of the out-of-hours point (PAC or SUAP) for your area on your regional health service website.

• Go to hospital urgencias if the out-of-hours point is closed or far away and the problem cannot wait.

What to watch out for

• Waiting for an appointment during a true emergency: Chest pain, stroke signs, severe breathing trouble or heavy bleeding can get worse fast, and a centro de salud appointment is too slow. Call 112 (or 061 where it exists) or go straight to urgencias. Do not drive yourself if you feel faint or unwell.

• Long waits at urgencias for minor problems: You will be seen, but after triage you wait behind more urgent cases, so a minor problem can mean hours in the waiting room. For a non-severe problem, use your centro de salud in opening hours or the out-of-hours point after they close.

• Mental-health crisis or risk of self-harm: A serious mental-health crisis with a risk of self-harm is a true emergency, not something to leave for a routine appointment. Call 112 or go to urgencias right away, and ask someone to stay with you.

• Expecting to choose the hospital in an ambulance: If a public ambulance comes, the hospital is chosen for you based on how serious the problem is. Tell the operator your symptoms clearly. Ambulance destinations are explained in the ambulance article.

Frequently asked questions

Can I choose which hospital urgencias I go to?

Yes, in an emergency you can go to any hospital urgencias, and no hospital may refuse urgent care. For anything non-urgent, the public system assigns you a reference hospital by health area, and most people simply go there.

What is the out-of-hours care point called where I live?

The name depends on your region: PAC in Catalonia, Valencia, the Balearics, Navarra and Aragon, SUAP in Madrid, Cantabria and Asturias, and DCCU in Andalusia. In the Basque Country it is a Punto de Urgencias of Osakidetza. Look up your town on the regional health service website.

Is 112 free, and can I speak English when I call?

Yes, 112 is free and works in several languages, so you can ask for help even if your Spanish is limited. It is the single European emergency number.