See a Doctor or Healthcare Professional

A range of common illnesses such as cold and flu and minor injuries can be treated at home simply by combining a well-stocked medicine cabinet with plenty of rest. Many patients attend with conditions that would get better with self-care. Studies show that 25-40% of consultations with a GP are unnecessary so it would help if patients only booked an appointment with a GP if they really need to.

Examples of the ailments best treated by yourself are:

• Upset stomach
• Grazed knee
• Common cold
• Sore throat
• Headache
• Colds & Flu

There are a wide variety of helpful Self Care information and resources available which could help you to treat your illness without the need for an appointment:

We have provided our patients with a list of services such as Physiotherapy, Sexual Health, Podiatry, support, help with your finances, etc that you can self-refer to without the need to see a GP or Nurse. You can normally self-refer by phone, attend a drop in clinic or by completing a self-referral form which you can send via email or post to the service of your choice.

Been in Hospital?

If you are off work due to a hospital admission, a sick note can be issued by the hospital to cover the period of time you were in the hospital. Once discharged, your GP can issue a sick note, based on your hospital discharge letter. If you think this is your situation, our Reception team will assist you.

Self-Certificate

If you have been sick for more than four days in a row, but less than seven, you can self–certify your illness using a SC2 form. You can obtain this form from your employer or by visiting the HMRC website. If you are unwell for more than four days you are advised to arrange an appointment to see a Doctor to assess your fitness to work.

How to count sick days

When you work out the number of days that you’ve been sick, you need to count all the days in a row you’ve been sick, including days you don’t normally work such as weekends and public holidays.

Visit a Pharmacy for healthcare advice without an appointment

It is estimated that every year, 50 million visits to the GP are made for minor ailments such as coughs and colds, mild eczema, and athlete’s foot. By visiting your pharmacy instead, you could save yourself time and trouble.

Your local Pharmacist is able to help with minor cuts, sprains, aches and pains, colds and flu, headaches, rashes, cystitis, emergency contraceptive (most Pharmacies now offer this service) and other common conditions.

No appointment is necessary and your local Pharmacist is usually open late, is available at weekends and many public holidays. It will also save you making an appointment with your GP.

Over the Counter Medicines

Please refer to NHS leaflet shown below regarding over the counter medicines.

New Medicine Service

The New Medicine Service is available at Pharmacies to give you extra help and advice if you’re just starting on a new medicine for one of the following conditions:

• asthma
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• type 2 diabetes
• high blood pressure
• people who have been given a new blood-thinning medicine

More about the New Medicine Service.

Treat Yourself Better

We support the campaign to encourage people to self-treat minor ailments such as colds and flu. The Treat Yourself Better Without Antibiotics website is full of information to help people understand when how long they can expect their symptoms to last for, when they need to see a doctor and when they would be better off visiting their local pharmacist for advice. 

Whatever your eye problem your first port of call should be an optometrist. An optometrist is the best person to assess urgent eye problems, check for eye disorders and treat eye conditions. They have the professional training and necessary equipment to assess most eye problems.

If your optician is closed and you can’t wait until it reopens call 111

If you sustain an eye injury that requires immediate emergency treatment go to your nearest Accident and Emergency.

If you or someone you know needs help with day-to-day living because of illness or disability, this website explains your options and where you can get support.

Call 111

Call 111 when we are closed to speak to an NHS professional on any urgent health or medical issue.

Calls are free from landlines and mobiles.

Urgent Care Centre

Urgent treatment centres are a facility you can go to if you need urgent medical attention, but it’s not a life-threatening situation. 

At the moment, the NHS offers a mix of walk-in centres, urgent care centres, minor injury units and urgent treatment centres, all with different levels of service.

If you have an emergency please call 999

Medical emergencies can include:

• loss of consciousness
• an acute confused state
• fits that aren’t stopping
• chest pain
• breathing difficulties
• severe bleeding that can’t be stopped
• severe allergic reactions
• severe burns or scalds

If you dialled 999 for an ambulance and you have to be taken to hospital, then the ambulance team will take you to the most appropriate A&E – this may not be the closest.

How to find your nearest A&E

Not all hospitals have an A&E department. You can use the find services search on this site to see if there is one near you.

Find your nearest A&E

Alternatively, many hospitals have their own website and generally describe the urgent and emergency care services they offer.

Mental Health Crisis?

You should call 999 or go to A&E if you, or someone you know, experiences a life-threatening medical or mental health emergency. These are cases where there is immediate danger to life or physical injury. A mental health emergency should be taken as seriously as a medical emergency. If you feel like you may be close to acting on suicidal thoughts or have seriously harmed yourself, you should call 999 or go to A&E directly if you need immediate help and are worried about your safety.

It’s important to use A&E only for serious injuries and major emergencies.

Use your local minor injuries unit if you need medical treatment or advice which does not need a visit to A&E or a medical appointment.

Some examples of problems they deal with:

• sprains and strains
• suspected broken limbs
• minor head injuries
• cuts and grazes
• bites and stings
• minor scalds and burns
• ear and throat infections
• skin infections and rashes
• eye problems
• coughs and colds
• feverish illness in adults
• feverish illness in children
• abdominal pain
• vomiting and diarrhoea
• emergency contraception

Out of Hours Services

The Nursing team complements the service that we offer to you, our patients. Please be assured that a doctor’s appointment will always be available should you prefer but you may get an earlier appointment if you opt to consult with one of the Nursing team.

The Practice Nurse is usually able to assess the situation and in some cases will organise initial blood tests and other investigations prior to arranging a follow up appointment with your doctor.

See the Practice Nurse about:

• Annual Reviews
• Minor illness
• Diabetes
• Asthma
• COPD
• Cervical Smears
• Contraceptive Pill checks
• Contraceptive injections
• Diet advice
• Spirometery
• Travel Vaccinations

See the Treatment Room nurse about:

• Childhood Immunisations
• Doppler tests
• Dressings
• Routine Injections
• Removal of stitches

See the Health Care Assistant about:

• Blood taking
• BP Checks
• BP 24 Hour recordings
• Cardiac event recordings
• ECGs
• Routine Injections
• INR Testing

All eligible patients will receive a flu invitation throughout September and early October. Our clinics commence in September and run to the end of the year. Please refer to your letter for information about clinics and time slots. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we have allocated times and dates for patients to attend, to ensure the safety of staff and patients at all times.

If you cannot attend the initial date, you will receive another invitation later in the season.

Further information about flu from NHS UK.