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INTRODUCTION
General Practitioners (GP's) provide 24 hour care for their
patients. This means GP's will run an out of hours service either themselves,
by employing an on call doctor's service, or by being part of an out of hours
GP co-operative.
The out of hour�s service is for urgent and serious medial
problems. It is important to use the service responsibly so that your doctor
can see the patients who are most in need when the surgery is closed. If you
genuinely need medical help, you should not be afraid to call your GP. There
are occasions when you can treat minor illnesses yourself, or they can wait
until normal surgery hours.
This information will help you to know:
- when you can treat yourself and save the doctor valuable time
to help people who are more seriously ill.
- when you really need to see the doctor.
Before you call a doctor WHAT you can do:
- try the appropriate treatments recommended on this page.
Think about how you feel:
- can you wait to see your doctor in normal surgery hours?
- do you need advice or reassurance now?
- do you need a doctor to see you now?
Think about whether anyone else can help you, such as a
pharmacist or a dentist.
In a real emergency you can be sure that a doctor will always be
available to give you advice over the phone or to see you.
Burns & Scalds
Chest Pains
Coughs
Colds & Flu
Diarrhoea
Earache
Insect Bites & Stings
Meningitis
Sore Throats
Toothache
General
Medicine Cabinet
What you can do:
- Immediately run cold water on the burn and keep it there for 10 minutes (this
will help to cool the burn and relieve the pain)
- do not remove clothing or anything else that sticks to the burn
- do not burst any blisters that form
- do not put on any creams
Go to your nearest accident and emergency department if:
- The burn is large, covers a joint, is not painful to touch, is on a child, or
if there is sickness, shivering or a temperature; and
- cover the burn area with ordinary kitchen Clingfilm
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Getting pains in the chest may be a symptom of a heart attack or it can be
caused by other problems. Stabbing chest pain when you twist is usually your
chest wall muscle and you can treat this with simple painkillers. Shooting
pains which last a few seconds are usually not a cause of concern. If chest
pain happens with a cough or fever, it can be a sign of pleurisy, in which case
you should contact your doctor during normal surgery hours.
Contact your doctor immediately if:
- you know you have a heart problem and have a nitrate spray or tablets, but
after using these your symptoms do not settle within five minutes
Call 999 for an Ambulance if:
- The chest pain is severe and lasts for more than 10 minutes; and
- it spreads to your jaw or arm
- you look pale or grey
- you feel sick or cold
- you sweat or
- you become breathless
IF YOU ARE IN ANY DOUBT, CONTACT YOUR DOCTOR
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Contact your doctor if:
- the coughing produces blood
- if breathing is accompanied by a pain in the chest or shortness of breath
- if your cough lasts more than two weeks
- you have a high temperature and a cough lasting more then five days
- if a child with these symptoms is not swallowing
Call 999 for an Ambulance if:
- you have severe breathing difficulties
- you notice that your child's lips are bluish in colour
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A cold usually begins gradually; it makes you feel generally unwell and achy,
and then produces a runny or blocked nose. After a day or two your nose runs
with a clear liquid which then becomes thick and yellow. You may also have a
sore throat, sneezing, a cough and a slight temperature. Symptoms may last 7-14
days. A cold is a viral illness which cannot be treated with antibiotics.
What you can do:
- drink plenty of fluids
- alternate paracetamol and aspirin every 3 hours, this will ease your sore
throat and muscle pains
- keep warm and rest
- ask your pharmacist for advice on what over-the-counter medication would best
treat your symptoms
- if you have children, ensure you have paracetamol suitable for children under
12 years and do not give children under 12 aspirin
If you are taking other medicines always check with your pharmacist. Many cold
and flu products already contain paracetamol. Using several products together
is very dangerous. If you already have cold or flu medicine in the house, check
that it has not passed its sell-by date.
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Contact your doctor if:
- immediately if there is any blood with the diarrhoea
- a baby or child with diarrhoea is drowsy or refuses to drink for a few hours
- you have a fever with the diarrhoea
- the diarrhoea lasts more than a week (more than two days in a child)
- you pass little or no urine over 12 hours (six hours in babies) or
- you think you have picked up a stomach bug from overseas
Diarrhoea us unpleasant but rarely dangerous. It's most usual cause is a sudden
change of diet, over-eating, over-drinking or it can follow travel to a foreign
country. Many attacks are caused by virus or bacterial infection.
Diarrhoea is often accompanied by a colicky (cramp like) pain in the tummy. It
may also be preceded by vomiting.
What you can do:
- miss the next meal or two
- drink plenty of clear fluids (water or squash)
- take paracetamol for colic-like tummy pains
- take rehydration medicine available from your pharmacist
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Earache can be caused by an infection or even by wax in your ear. If the cause
is an infection you will usually have a temperature and feel 'flu-like'. Most
infections clear within a few days, although you may not be able to hear
properly for a short while after.
What you can do:
- take regular painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen
Contact your doctor if:
- the earache continues for more than 12 hours after taking painkillers
- the ear starts running
- the deafness continues for more than a few days after the infection has
cleared.
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What you can do:
- for wasp stings bathe the area in vinegar
- for bee stings remove the sting and bathe the area in a baking soda and water
mixture
- rub calamine lotion or other soothing creams on the area
Serious stings are rare. They happen if you are allergic to bee or wasp stings
or you are stung on the tongue or throat. Some people can be severely allergic
to insect bites or stings.
If you have a severe reaction call 999 for an ambulance.
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Most people become very worried when they hear the word 'meningitis' in fact,
single cases are rare and clusters are even rarer. The illness develops very
quickly. Specific symptoms of meningitis include one or more of the following:
- high temperature or fever
- cold hands and feet when the rest of the body is burning
- vomiting
- severe headache
- stiff neck
- dislike of bright lights
- a bruising rash
The rash usually starts as small red or purple pin pricks which then join to
form red and purple blotches.
If you think you or your child has meningitis, you should contact your doctor
immediately or call 999 for an ambulance.
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Most sore throats are caused by a virus infection which antibiotics cannot
cure. The sore throat will usually disappear in a few days.
What you can do:
- to help relieve the pain on swallowing and if there is a temperature take
regular painkillers such as paracetamol
- drink plenty of cold drinks
ASPIRIN MUST NOT BE GIVEN TO CHILDREN UNDER 12 YEARS OF AGE
Contact your doctor if:
- you have severe problems swallowing
- you have severe breathing difficulties
- the problem lasts for more than three days
- you also have severe earache
- your temperature rises above 38.6 degrees centigrade or 101 degrees
Fahrenheit
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Your doctor is not trained to deal with dental problems. Dentists do not work
in Accident and Emergency Departments. If you have toothache or an abscess in
your mouth, especially if you have swelling around the tooth you should contact
your dentist.
What you can do:
- take regular painkillers such as paracetamol
- contact your dentist during normal surgery hours
Unlike registration with your family doctor, registration with your NHS dentist
only lasts for fifteen months. It is therefore important that you attend
regularly to maintain your registration.
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It is sometimes possible to be ill even though you do not actually feel unwell.
You should contact your doctor during normal surgery hours within ten days if
you notice any of the following:
- feeling very tired for no apparent reason
- losing significant weight for no apparent reason
- changes in colour, texture or size to a mole on your skin
- persistent indigestion or heartburn
- loss of blood when you cough, vomit, pass water or from your bowels
- changes to your voice - hoarseness or huskiness for no apparent reason
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You should always keep any medicines you have at home in a safe place,
preferably in a locked cabinet.
Keep your medicines out of the reach of children.
Always read labels carefully and follow the instructions.
Make sure medicines are not out of date.
Some useful suggestions of items you might wish to keep in your medicine
cabinet:
| Paracetamol Syrup (for children) |
Plasters |
| Rehydration Medicine |
Safety pins and tape |
| Scissors |
Thermometer |
| Tweezers |
Antiseptic Cream |
| Bandages |
Calamine lotion |
| Cotton wool |
Cough mixture |
| Indigestion relief |
Paracetamol |
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