Other Information

NHS Direct

NHS Direct is a 24-hour nurse helpline providing confidential advice and information on what to do if you are feeling ill, have health concerns for you and your family or local health services and self-help and support organisations. Calls are charged at local rates.

Telephone 0845 46 47 for telephone advice.

Emergencies

When is it an emergency?

When it comes to your health or the health of someone in your family, it is often very obvious if the person is seriously ill and needs emergency care. You should seek medical attention by either taking the casualty to A & E or by phoning 999 for an emergency ambulance.

If the emergency is a critical or life-threatening situation like the following examples and in any of these instances, you should seek urgent medical attention by dialling 999:

• Suspected heart attack
• Stroke symptoms (slurring of speech, unstable on feet)
• Chest pain
• Unconsciousness
• Severe breathing difficulties
• Head injury

Remember to remain calm. Do everything you can to help the person, but don't put yourself in danger and don't give the person anything to eat, drink or smoke.

Where someone is unconscious or appears to have had a heart attack, call 999 for an emergency ambulance and use the ABC of resuscitation:

A Airway: position the airway and remove any obvious obstruction (for adults);

B Breathing: look to see if the casualty is breathing and, if there are no signs, give mouth to mouth ventilation;

C Circulation: look and feel for signs of circulation and, if there are no signs, start chest compression. If you don't know how to do this, call for help from people around who may know the routine. Remember, any attempt at resuscitation is better than none.

People with signs of a heart attack, which might include crushing central chest pain often accompanied by shortness of breath, sweating and vomiting, need urgent medical help. A person who has had a stroke will be unstable on their feet and have slurred speech. In both cases an ambulance should be called immediately by dialling 999.

For conditions like:

• Heavy blood loss
• Suspected broken bones
• Deep wounds such as stab wounds
• Foreign body in eyes or ears. If the patient can travel, they can be taken to the nearest A & E.

You should think carefully whether or not your condition/illness is an emergency, as you may be preventing others with life-threatening conditions from getting immediate care.

Sick children will be seen as quickly as possible in surgery. It does not harm a child to be brought to the surgery warmly wrapped up unless they are extremely ill. If in doubt, telephone the surgery for advice.

There are certain emergencies that can be dealt with by local pharmacies; patients entitled to free prescriptions will be dealt with in the same way as they would be at their doctors.

Morning after pill Headlice Sore throat / cold / flu

Diarrhoea in children Hayfever Insect bites and stings

If you are pregnant and experience bleeding, contact EPAU on 01709 304398 between 9.00am and 5.00pm for advice.