Self Help Advice
Have you thought about asking your pharmacist before making an appointment? They are also a valuable source of help and advice, and are recommended by NHS choices. Please consult this page for lots of practical advice for minor illness.
Pharmacy First - Have you thought about asking your pharmacist before making an appointment? They are also a valuable source of help and advice, and recommended by NHS choices. Please consult this page for lots of practical advice for minor illness.
Free Prescriptions from your pharmacy WITHOUT seeing your doctor; consult the MINOR AILMENTS scheme.
Fit notes (Sickness Certification) - NHS services provide medical certification for your employer after one week of sickness absence. You do not need to contact your doctor for a certificate if you are off for less than a week, instead, you can get a Self-certificate from your employer, or download one here.
Weight Management Programme -
We have planned a FREE bespoke programme for our patients which will be delivered online via Microsoft Office Teams. This will be delivered by one of our experienced Wellbeing Practitioners and will run weekly for one hour for 8 to 12 weeks. You will be offered short individual follow ups should you require additional support.
Please see the attached leaflet
Stop Smoking Help and Advice - Did you know the BEST treatment for conditions like COPD is to stop smoking? So, no matter how many different inhalers, tablets and tests you have for COPD, the actual best treatment is something you can do yourself, perhaps with some help from the NHS Quit website or stop smoking clinic at the surgery. You can get a free Quit Kit by following the link.
Self Referral - Some services can be accessed directly without seeing your doctor. Examples are MIND, the mental health charity, Talking Changes (psychological counselling), Physiotherapy, Drug and Alcohol and Home Group housing support.
Headspace meditation - Meditation has been shown to help people stress less, focus more, and even sleep better. Headspace is meditation made simple. We'll teach you the life-changing skills of meditation and mindfulness in just a few minutes a day
Minor ailments Scheme & Symptom Checker
Every year, millions of us visit our GP with minor health problems that our local pharmacist could resolve.
It's estimated 50 million visits to the GP are made every year for minor ailments such as coughs and colds, mild eczema and athlete's foot.
But by visiting your pharmacy instead, you could save yourself time and trouble. Instead of booking and waiting for a GP appointment, you can visit your local pharmacist any time – just walk in.
All pharmacists can recognise many common health complaints. They can give advice or, where appropriate, medicines that will help clear up the problem.
If your problem is more serious and needs the attention of a GP, your pharmacist will recognise this and advise you to see your GP instead.
What's more, many pharmacies are open in the evenings and on the weekends.
If everybody went to a pharmacist with common health problems, more time would be freed up for our GPs. This might make it easier to get a convenient appointment with your GP next time you need one.
So, if you have a common health problem, a trip to your local pharmacy is an option.
Your pharmacist may be able to help with:
- skin conditions, such as mild acne and mild eczema
- coughs and colds, including nasal congestion and sore throat
- minor cuts and bruises
- constipation and haemorrhoids (piles)
- hay fever and allergies
- aches and pains, such as headaches, earache and back pain
- indigestion, diarrhoea and threadworms
- period pain and thrush
- warts and verrucas, mouth ulcers and cold sores
- athlete's foot
- nappy rash and teething
Some pharmacies also provide truss fittings, stoma products and incontinence supplies.
Go to your GP or a walk-in centre for:
- wound and dressing care
- muscle and joint injuries, including strains and sprains
- minor lacerations and cuts
- infected wounds
Go to accident and emergency (A&E) for:
- head injuries or loss of consciousness
- suturing (stitches)
- foreign bodies
- suspected broken bones or heavy blood loss
- persistent chest pain or difficulty breathing
- overdose or poisoning
If an injury is not serious, you can get help from a minor injuries unit (MIU), rather than going to an A&E department.
Minor ailment services
Some pharmacies run a minor ailment scheme, which means they can supply medicines for certain conditions on the NHS.
If your pharmacy runs a minor ailment scheme that includes eczema, for example, it means your pharmacist can supply medicines for this condition and you'll only pay the standard prescription charge.
If you're exempt from paying prescription charges – because you're under 16 or over 60, for example, or you have a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC) – you won't pay for the medicine. Just ask at your local pharmacy.
Look for pharmacies in your area.
Click here to find out what to expect from your pharmacy team
You can also check your own symptoms with the NHS symptom checker