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Feeling Unwell

Hi Subscriber,

When you or someone you care for is not feeling well, it’s reassuring to know where you can access advice quickly and easily.

There are lots of services available to you in in mid and south Essex, some will be better placed to help you than others depending on what your needs are.

Community Pharmacy

Pharmacists are experts in medicines who can help you with minor health concerns.

They can offer clinical advice and over-the-counter medicines for a range of minor illnesses, such as coughs, colds, sore throats, tummy trouble and aches and pains.

The pharmacist will let you know if you need to visit a doctor or other health professional, but they can help you with a number of things first, which could save your waiting and feel better quicker.

Evening and Weekend GP Appointments

Local residents can now access evening and weekend appointments with a GP, nurse or other healthcare professional. The new service will see GP practices across mid and south Essex working together to offer patients appointments at more convenient times when they call their local practice. 

Depending on where you live, appointments are available from 6:30pm – 8:00pm, Monday to Friday and from 8:00am – 7:30pm on the weekends and public holidays; however, opening hours will vary between the practices.  

Find out more about evening and weekend appointments and how to access over the Christmas and new year bank holiday period.

Find out more about the range of healthcare professionals with the expertise to help you with your health needs.

NHS 111

For urgent health concerns, you can contact NHS 111 by phone or online.

111 can tell you:

• Where to get help for your symptoms, if you're not sure what to do
• How to find general health information and advice
• Where to get an emergency supply of your prescribed medicine
• How to get a repeat prescription

They will perform a medical screening assessment and will signpost you to the most relevant health service; including the GP or A&E if they feel this is necessary. What’s more, is if you do need to see a GP they will organise this for you. To get help from NHS 111, you can:

• Go to 111.nhs.uk (for people aged 5 and over only)
• Call 111

NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you’re Deaf and want to use the phone service, you can use the NHS 111 British Sign Language service.

Essex Childhood Health App

Every parent wants to know what to do if their child is unwell and how to recognise the signs. Helen Tween, a Nursery Nurse from Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, explains why parents should download the new Essex Child Health app.

The NHS Essex Child Health app is a great first port of call for parents, grandparents, or carers of children under the age of 11, to access handy NHS advice on some of these most common childhood illnesses, as well as helping you to understand when it’s better to chat to your school nurse, visit a local community pharmacist or GP, or to call NHS 111.

You can download the app on Apple Store or Google Play for free.