Out-of-Hours GP in Ireland: Your Options, Real Costs, and When to Use Which One
The HSE out-of-hours co-op, an online consultation, your pharmacy, or 999: what each one actually costs and does, and how to tell which is right for tonight.
It is evening, or a weekend, or a bank holiday, and your own GP surgery is shut. This is exactly what an out-of-hours GP service in Ireland exists for, but knowing which option actually fits tonight's problem is not always obvious. You are not sure whether this is a "call 999" problem, a "needs a doctor tonight" problem, or something you can sort out yourself.
The quick answer: you have four realistic routes. The HSE's GP out-of-hours service, for urgent problems that need a doctor and possibly an in-person look. An online consultation, for problems a doctor can assess by talking to you, such as a urinary tract infection starting on a Saturday or a certificate needed for Monday. Your pharmacy, for advice and a range of treatments without a doctor at all. And, for anything serious, 999 or 112, or your nearest emergency department, straight away.
If any of this applies, stop reading and get emergency help
None of the routes below are the right one for a genuine emergency. Call 112 or 999, or go straight to an emergency department, for:
- Chest pain or pressure
- Difficulty breathing
- Signs of a stroke: face drooping, arm weakness, slurred speech
- Severe or uncontrolled bleeding
- A serious head injury, or loss of consciousness
- Sudden, severe abdominal pain
- A seizure
- A severe allergic reaction
- A rash that does not fade when you press a glass against it, especially with a fever
- A baby or young child who is floppy, unusually drowsy, or breathing with obvious difficulty
If you are unsure how serious something is, treat it as serious. An unnecessary visit to an emergency department is a far smaller problem than a late one.
If you are having thoughts of harming yourself, you can call 112 or go to an emergency department the same as for anything else on this list, and you can also talk to someone right now, any hour of the day or night, by calling the Samaritans free on 116 123.
Route one: the HSE's GP out-of-hours service
This is the service run by regional GP co-operatives when your own surgery is closed. The HSE is direct about how it works: it is for all ages, and it is by appointment only. There is no walk-in service. You phone, give your name, date of birth, address and a description of the problem, and a triage nurse calls you back, so you need to keep your line free. Depending on what they hear, you may get phone advice, an appointment at a treatment centre, or in some cases a home visit.
The HSE is also clear this is for urgent problems, not routine matters like repeat prescriptions or test results, and it says to call 112 or 999 directly for anything life-threatening.
Ireland's out-of-hours co-ops go by different names depending on where you live. A few examples, among others across the country: Caredoc covers much of the South-East, Dubdoc covers Dublin, Shannondoc covers Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary, and SouthDoc covers Cork and Kerry. If you do not already know the name and number for your own area, the HSE keeps a regional finder so you can look it up before you need it, not while you are on hold at 11pm.
Cost: free if you have a valid medical card or GP visit card and bring it with you. Without one, a fee applies. Each co-op sets and publishes its own private fee rather than following a single national price, and private out-of-hours fees are commonly reported in the region of €60 to €100, noticeably above a typical daytime GP fee, because the service costs more to run outside normal hours.
Route two: an online consultation
For a problem that needs a doctor's judgement rather than a doctor's hands, a scheduled remote consultation can be the calmer option once your own surgery is closed. Everyday illnesses and minor conditions, ongoing support for something you already manage, or a flare-up of a skin condition or allergy are the kind of thing a phone or video call can genuinely help with without anyone needing to see you in a room.
CareCall runs telephone and video consultations seven days a week, including evenings and weekends, in 15-minute slots. Standard consultations are from €34.99; evening, weekend and bank holiday consultations are from €39.99, shown in full on our services page, and you will see the exact fee before you confirm a booking. If a prescription or certificate is appropriate, it follows the consultation. If you have not booked an online consultation before, our guide to how CareCall's consultations work covers the rest of the process.
Here is the honest limit of this route: a screen or a phone call cannot examine you. Anything that genuinely needs a physical examination, a home visit, or in-person urgent assessment belongs with the HSE's out-of-hours service or an emergency department, not an online booking. And booking a consultation is never a guarantee that a certificate or prescription will follow. The doctor decides what is safe and clinically appropriate once they have actually spoken to you, and if online treatment is not right for your situation, that is what they will tell you.
Route three: your pharmacy
Many pharmacies stay open into the evening and over the weekend, and can do more than point you toward a doctor. Under the HSE's Common Conditions Service, a participating pharmacist can assess and, where appropriate, prescribe treatment for eight named conditions: allergic rhinitis, cold sores, conjunctivitis, impetigo, oral thrush, shingles, cystitis, and vaginal thrush. It is not free, even with a medical card, and the pharmacist tells you the cost before starting. Not every pharmacy takes part, and some run it as a walk-in service while others ask you to book ahead, so it is worth calling first. For anything outside that list, a pharmacist can still tell you whether you need a doctor at all, which makes the pharmacy counter a good and free first stop when you are not sure.
What each route actually costs
HSE out-of-hours co-op: free with a medical card or GP visit card. Without one, commonly reported at roughly €60 to €100 privately, set by the individual co-op.
CareCall online consultation: from €34.99 standard, from €39.99 evenings, weekends and bank holidays, shown before you confirm.
Pharmacy: advice is free; the Common Conditions Service and other supplied treatments are charged, and the pharmacist tells you the cost before you commit.
112, 999, or an emergency department: always your first call for anything on the emergency list above, regardless of cost.
How to choose, quickly
Start with the emergency list above. If nothing there applies, ask whether the problem needs a doctor's hands or just a doctor's judgement. Anything needing a physical examination, or normally checked by touch or equipment, belongs with the HSE out-of-hours service, not a screen. If what you actually need is advice, a prescription, or a document based on symptoms you can describe by phone or camera, an online consultation is usually quicker, with no waiting room involved.
A little preparation helps
Two things help before you need them. Look up your area's HSE out-of-hours co-op now, using the HSE's own finder, and save the number somewhere you will find it again. And keep a written list of what you currently take, with doses. A triage nurse or a CareCall doctor will ask, and recalling it from memory while you are unwell rarely goes well.Frequently asked questions
Is the HSE out-of-hours GP service free?
Yes, if you have a valid medical card or GP visit card and bring it with you. Without one, the co-op charges its own private fee.
How much does out-of-hours GP care cost without a medical card?
It varies by co-op, since each one sets its own fee, but private out-of-hours visits are commonly reported at roughly €60 to €100. A CareCall online consultation outside standard hours costs from €39.99, shown before you book.
What actually counts as "out of hours" for a GP in Ireland?
Any time your own GP surgery is closed: typically evenings, nights, weekends and bank holidays. The HSE's co-op service exists specifically to cover those hours.
Can I use an online doctor instead of the GP out-of-hours service?
For problems a doctor can assess by talking to you, such as a repeat prescription, a certificate, or a condition you already recognise, yes. For anything needing a physical examination, a home visit, or genuinely urgent in-person care, the HSE out-of-hours service or an emergency department is the right route, not an online booking. And if what you actually need is a specialist referral rather than out-of-hours care, our guide to getting a GP referral letter online covers that separately.
What if I cannot get an appointment with my own GP at all?
If it can safely wait, keep trying your own practice during its hours. If it cannot wait until they reopen, that is exactly the situation the HSE out-of-hours service and online consultations both exist for, depending on whether your problem needs a doctor's hands or just a doctor's judgement (see "How to choose, quickly" above).
Is it ever wrong to call 999 or go to an emergency department?
No. Treat any real doubt as a reason to go, not a reason to wait it out at home. Being wrong in that direction costs you a few hours in a waiting room. Being wrong in the other direction costs far more.
Written by the CareCall team. This article is general information about out-of-hours healthcare options in Ireland. It is not medical advice, and it does not replace a consultation with a doctor who knows your history or, where needed, an in-person examination. If you are seriously unwell, contact 112, 999, or your nearest emergency department. Last reviewed 3 September 2026.
