Must I telephone first before going to hospital emergency centre in France?
The health ministry wants to reduce the strain on hospital services
The urgences at French hospitals are often under considerable strain
Pixavril/Shutterstock
Reader Question: My husband’s eye was hurting, and a doctor recommended taking him to the hospital, which I did. Staff were however angry we did not call 15 beforehand. Is this a legal requirement?
There have been concerns in France, as in some other countries, about the number of people turning up at urgences (accident and emergency services) in hospitals rather than using primary care (eg. seeing their GP) or seeking telephone advice.
However, there is no actual ban on doing so.
France’s health ministry launched a campaign in 2022 asking people to take other steps rather than immediately going to the urgences, to reduce strain on emergency services in the country. This is still the current advice.
The government advises that only in real emergencies should a person go (or be brought) directly to an urgences, and even then, calling the 15 ‘healthcare access number’ may be the best solution to arrange quick transportation.
What should I do?
In most cases, the first port of call is to contact a doctor, as you did, preferably your own GP.
If a doctor recommended visiting an urgences, this should have been enough to satisfy staff at the hospital.
If your usual GP is not available you could also try to see another local doctor – such as through doctolib.fr or the sante.fr online search tool. Note that some doctors now offer an online consultation if this will be easier.
The SOS Médecins service is another port of call, and can often arrange a quick home visit.
If these options are not suitable, or you cannot see someone quickly enough, people are advised to call 15.
While this used to be just for the Samu emergency ambulance service, it is now a general line where you can obtain phone advice from a medical professional, who can direct you to the best solution - including going to the urgences if necessary.
Read more: 112, 15, 17: Do you know the emergency numbers to use in France?
Having said which, it is still not uncommon for people to go straight to the urgences (especially for important out-of-hours issues) and there is no actual obligation to have taken the recommended steps outlined above.
The 2022 campaign page, however, shows that the government found it necessary to remind people not to go for such items as requesting a medical certificate for sport, having a vaccination, or getting a pregnancy test - indicating the level of poor use of the service that was typical.
Note that when a person goes to A&E, if they are not hospitalised as a result, a fixed forfait patient urgences of €19.61 is payable. This is not state reimbursed, but is usually refunded by top-up healthcare policies.
Make a complaint
You could, if you wish, make an official complaint against the hospital for how your husband was treated, especially if you had received advice from a doctor telling you to visit the hospital.
As this does not concern medical reimbursement, it can be done directly to the hospital via its Commission des usagers.
Read more: How do I complain about bad healthcare treatment in France?
