Out-of-hours
owt-uhv-OW-uhz /ˌaʊt əv ˈaʊəz/
Neutral Neutral
What it really means
Describes NHS care outside normal surgery hours — evenings, weekends and bank holidays. If you need a doctor when your surgery is closed, call NHS 111 and they can arrange an out-of-hours appointment.
Chinese explanation
非工作时间服务：指诊所正常营业时间之外（晚间、周末、公共假日）的NHS医疗。诊所关门时需要看医生，可打NHS 111，他们能安排非工作时间就诊。
Example conversation
A: The surgery's answerphone says it's closed until Monday.
B: Call 111 — they run the out-of-hours service and can get you seen this weekend.
A：诊所的留言说要到周一才开门。
B：打111——他们负责非工作时间服务，这个周末就能安排你就诊。
Official sources
Rules and amounts change — confirm important details with the official source.
Go deeper
All Healthcare & NHS
Reviewed by the UK Decoded editorial team
· Last checked 24 July 2026 · Report a mistake