Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB
With the August bank holiday approaching, the public across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire are being urged to plan ahead and order any repeat prescriptions in good time.
Every bank holiday the NHS 111 phone service sees huge increases in people contacting it about repeat prescriptions.
People are also being urged to make sure they know how to access urgent care – in case they or a loved need help over the bank holiday weekend, which is from 24-26 August.
Dr Dave Briggs, Medical Director at NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire said: “We want to remind people that our hospitals can often become very busy over a long bank holiday weekend when other health services are closed.
“To help us ensure that our busy ambulance services and hospital A&E departments are kept free for those who need them most – we are reminding people to make NHS 111 or a local pharmacy their first point of call for all non-emergency healthcare treatment and advice.
“You can help yourself by restocking medicine cabinets, knowing when your GP practice is open and planning ahead to order any repeat prescriptions that are due around the bank holiday weekend in time. Running out of your usual medication may have serious consequences, especially if you have a heart, lung conditions or another long-term health condition.”
Here is a list of useful information to help you prepare ahead of the bank holiday:
For advice and treatment for minor health concerns, people can also use the ‘Pharmacy First’ service which allows pharmacists to assess and treat patients for common conditions – without the need for a GP appointment or prescription first.
Simply drop in to your local pharmacy and ask for advice – find out which pharmacies are open on our pharmacy web pages.
Parents and carers are also reminded that if a child is unwell, you can visit our online symptom checker for helpful advice on how to treat your child at home, and when to seek further medical help. Head to our children’s web pages to find out more.
Check your symptoms and get access to advice using 111 online. NHS 111 is a free service which runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Specially trained call operators can also direct you to the best place for your care.
Talk to your GP, nurse or other healthcare professionals about symptoms that aren’t going away. They can offer telephone, online or face-to-face consultations. Contact 111 to see an out of hours GP.
For non-life-threatening injuries and health problems. No appointment needed.
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire have a mental health crisis line which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to people of all ages. Contact: 0808 196 3779
Only call 999 or attend A&E departments for serious accidents and for genuine emergencies.
