Don’t Know Who To Call?
WE UNDERSTAND HOW DIFFICULT IT CAN BE FOR PATIENTS IN KNOWING WHO TO CALL IN SPECIFIC SITUATIONS. IT’S EASIER FOR US BECAUSE WE ARE MEDICAL AND WE ARE AWARE OF THE FULL RANGE OF SERVICES AVAILABLE TO YOU AND WHEN YOU SHOULD ACCESS THEM. WE HOPE THIS PAGE HELPS IMPROVE YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF WHO TO CALL AND WHEN. LET’S START WITH TYPES OF THINGS THAT ARE CONSIDERED AN EMERGENCY AND HENCE A 999 CALL.
Emergencies
EMERGENCIES
Call 999/A&E if the you or a person has the following emergency…
- UNCONSCIOUSNESS OR BLACKED-OUT
- SEVERE DIFFICULTY BREATHING OR CHOKING
- SEVERE CHEST PAINS (OR A SUSPECTED HEART ATTACK)
- YOU SUSPECT A STROKE
- YOU SUSPECTED BROKEN BONES OR SEVERE TRAUMA
- A DEEP WOUND – SUCH AS A STAB WOUND
- BLEEDING HEAVILY
- DRUG OVERDOSE / SWALLOWED SOMETHING POSSIBLY POISONOUS
FOR THESE EMERGENCIES
- Call 999
- Or go to A&E at your local hospital (in Bradford, it will be Bradford Royal Infirmary)
Please remember to use A&E responsibly. Some patients there are seriously ill and we must not clog up the system.
Not Emergency, but Same Day Advice
NHS 111
Open 24h a day – just ring 111. Even open Bank Holidays and Weekends.
If it’s not an emergency and you just want some urgent advice or don’t know whether you should go see someone, try calling 111. If they feel you need to be seen, they will arrange for a doctor to see you locally.
HILLSIDE BRIDGE WALK-IN CENTRE
- 4 Butler Street, BD3 0BS.
- Phone 0345 121 1024
- Mon-Fri: open 6pm-8pm
- Sat & Sun: open 2pm-8pm
If it’s not an emergency and you just want some medical advice or want to pop in and see a doctor about something that has recently developed, then try Hillside Bridge. They can deal with cuts, wounds, rashes, sunburn, bites & stings, strains & sprains, stitches/dressings, hayfever, emergency contraception, vomiting and diarrhoea.
YOUR LOCAL PHARMACIST
Your local pharmacist can advise you on all sorts of minor illnesses. So, if you have new cough, headache, earache, skin rash or if your hayfever is playing up – please give them a try rather than seeing your GP.
For a late night chemist:
www.latenightchemist.co.uk
YOUR GP SURGERY’S ON-CALL DUTY DOCTOR SERVICE
The on-call duty doctor service is provided by all GP surgeries. Every day, there is a doctor nominated within the practice to see urgent medical stuff. However, please do not abuse this service just to get a quick appointment – the GP will turn you away and not deal with the problem if it is not what they consider to be medically urgent. There are a few patients who repeatedly abuse this service – but be warned – to do so will result in the surgery asking you to register with another GP practice. We are sorry to have to talk in these terms, but we want this to be a good service for the patients it is designed for – those who are unwell or have an urgent medical problem. This service is not for coughs, colds and earaches that have been going on for less than a week (in which case – please think about other places you can seek help from – for example, the local pharmacist, NHS111, or self-management advice online).
- This service is for patients who feel incredibly unwell or where something is not settling after a week and is getting worse.
- To access the service, call the surgery and ask to see or speak to the emergency duty doctor.
The sorts of the things the emergency duty doctor can help with
This list isn’t exhaustive, but gives you an idea of what a GP can do.
- blood coming out of somewhere (like coughing up blood, nose bleeds or passing blood in motions (poo) or urine)
- high fever, especially if a child
- sudden or severe increasing pain anywhere
- sudden or distressing breathlessness
- altered consciousness (feeling drowsy or confused)
- severe diarrhoea and vomiting
- severe abdominal (tummy) pain
- unusual headache.
Not Emergency, Not Urgent, but would like advice soon...
RING YOUR GP SURGERY TO GET A ROUTINE APPOINTMENT
If something has been going on for a while (like back ache for 3-4 weeks), and you feel it is not an emergency or urgent, then ring the surgery to get a ROUTINE appointment with the GP. Also consider a routine appointment for something that is ongoing and not settling and where again, you don’t think it is urgent. For example, knee arthritis pain that is not settling. A ROUTINE appointment might be within the next 2-6 weeks depending how busy we are – sometimes you might be able to be seen within 2 weeks, but it all depends on how busy we are.
YOUR LOCAL PHARMACIST
Your local pharmacist can advise you on all sorts of minor illnesses. So, if you have troublesome dry skin, or perhaps itchy eyes, or hayfever that isn’t settling – consider going to your pharmacist.
For a late night chemist:
www.latenightchemist.co.uk
NHS 111
Open 24h a day – just ring 111. Even open Bank Holidays and Weekends.
If it’s not an emergency and you just want some urgent advice or don’t know whether you should go see someone, try calling 111. If they feel you need to be seen, they will arrange for a doctor to see you locally.
HILLSIDE BRIDGE WALK-IN CENTRE
- 4 Butler Street, BD3 0BS.
- Phone 0345 121 1024
- Mon-Fri: open 6pm-8pm
- Sat & Sun: open 2pm-8pm
If it’s not an emergency and you just want some medical advice or want to pop in and see a doctor about something that has recently developed, then try Hillside Bridge. They can deal with cuts, wounds, rashes, sunburn, bites & stings, strains & sprains, stitches/dressings, hayfever, emergency contraception, vomiting and diarrhoea.
Don't forget your local pharmacist
YOUR LOCAL PHARMACIST
Your local pharmacist can advise you on all sorts of minor illnesses. So, if you have troublesome dry skin, or perhaps itchy eyes, or hayfever that isn’t settling – consider going to your pharmacist. Watch the video on the right.
For a late night chemist:
www.latenightchemist.co.uk
Pharmacists are very qualified people and can provide advice on lots of things – especially new onset symptoms. Here are some common areas they can help you with.
- Coughs, Colds and Flu, Earache, Sore throats, mouth ulcers, cold sores, Acute fever
- New headaches, Aches and pains,Sports injuries
- Hayfever, Allergies, Dry skin/mild eczema, Bites and Stings
- Indigestion, Diarrhoea, Constipation, Other tummy troubles
- Thrush, Cystitis, Nappy rash, Itchy skin, Headlice
Other Health Professionals that you might not be aware of...
ADVANCED CARE PRACTITIONERS (ACPs)
This new type of health professional can do some of the things GPs can do. They are often ex-nurses, ex-pharmacists or ex-paramedics who have usually done 2 years of further deep clinical medical training. In general, if you have something of recent onset, come and see one of them. It may be easier getting an appointment to see them than some of the GPs! And you’re worried that your problem might be too complex for them – don’t worry – they’ll seek a GP’s advice if they feel they need it.
THE DISTRICT NURSES & CASE MANAGERS
- District nurses deal with wounds, dressings, taking bloods, giving injections, advising on continence pads and doing assessment on people who fall repeatedly.
- Case Managers are ‘community matrons’ or very senior nurses who are good at helping patients with complex medical problems. If you have a number of medical conditions or even one bad condition like COPD, asthma, heart failure, dementia – and it’s all getting too much for you – call them.
Both District Nurses and Case Managers provide care and support for the dying and terminally ill like cancer patients.
THE HEALTH TRAINER OR HEALTH SUPPORT WORKER
The Health Trainer is a health professional who can help you make lifestyle changes like – helping you to lose weight, get fitter, stop smoking, managing your anxiety, helping you with depression, reducing stress levels and so on. The can also help you if you have low confidence or self-esteem, provide bereavement support for people left behind and deal with social issues like loneliness and housing problems. These health professionals have often been on a number of specialised training courses, like Counselling, Family Therapy, Bereavement Training, Mental Health First Aid Training, Wellness Facilitation and so on.
To book an appointment with one – just call our surgery and ask for an appointment with them.
Types of things they can do…
- Weight Matters, Healthy Eating & Cooking
- Stress, Anxiety, Domestic Stress, Low mood, Low confidence/self-esteem
- Exercise Groups, Swimming,
- Carer Support, Befriending lonely people, Emotional Support
- Dementia friendly, Slips, Trips & Falls
- Social Groups,Gardening Groups, Volunteering Opportunities
- Looking after yourself in Summer, Winter or General Advice
- Referral to Carers Services, Bereavement Support, Housing Advice, Benefits Advice Services.
- Janet’s Qualifications
What about Weekends & Bank Holidays
If it is truly urgent…
During the weekends or Bank Holidays, if you need to see a doctor urgently, you either Call 111, go to Hillside Bridge (the walk-in centre), ring 999 or go to A&E. The diagram above and on the right should help you decide where.
Where can I get some good ONLINE advice? How can I help myself?
Websites
These 3 wonderful websites can help you manage an existing condition better, self-manage minor illnesses and provide advice on new symptoms.
- NHS choices website
(wonderful info and video clips on nearly everything) - symptom checker
(great site for searching via symptom than medical condition) - www.patient.co.uk
(great leaflets on medical conditions)
How can I help myself with minor illnesses?
- First of all, make sure you have a well-stocked, locked medicines box at home.
- Useful medicines include paracetamol and ibuprofen for pain, fever and headaches, antihistamines for allergies and hayfever and indigestion remedy for heartburn and trapped wind.
- Ask your pharmacist about which medicines to keep at home.