Feeling Poorly? Help choosing the most appropriate NHS service in North East Lincolnshire

Self-Care

You can treat a lot of minor ailments yourself at home, saving yourself a trip to the GP.

You can get free advice from a pharmacist for lots of minor health issues, including what over the counter medicines you can buy and when to visit your GP. You can find out more about the services pharmacies offer by visiting the NHS website Pharmacies page.

Be prepared for common ailments by keeping a well-stocked medicine cabinet at home. You can find out what pharmacists and doctors suggest you keep in by visiting the NHS webpage nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/your-medicine-cabinet/ or asking at your local pharmacy.

You can find advice on treating minor illness and injury and when you should seek medical advice by visiting the NHS webpage NHS.uk/conditions and entering the name of the problem you're having.

Visiting a Pharmacy

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

Visit the following external link to Find a Pharmacy.

As qualified healthcare professionals, 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.

If symptoms suggest it's something more serious, pharmacists have the right training to make sure you get the help you need. For example they will tell you if you need to see a GP, nurse or other healthcare professional.

All pharmacists train for 5 years in the use of medicines. They are also trained in managing minor illnesses and providing health and wellbeing advice.

Many pharmacies are open until late and at weekends. You do not need an appointment.

Most pharmacies have a private consultation room where you can discuss issues with pharmacy staff without being overheard.

Repeat Prescriptions

The way people order their repeat prescriptions has now changed. You can find out more by visiting our repeat prescriptions page.

Your GP Practice

If you have an illness or injury that has not resolved with self-care or you have symptoms you are concerned about, you can contact your GP practice. 

Before visiting, please contact them online, by an app or by phone to be assessed. Face to face appointments are available if it is appropriate for you but you may be asked to discuss your condition over the phone or online first to assess what would be most appropriate for you.

Your practice will always want to hear about symptoms such as an unexplained pain that lasts three weeks or more, an unexplained lump, or blood in your poo or pee, as these could be a sign of cancer. While it is probably nothing to worry about, it is important to get checked out as finding cancer early makes it more treatable.

You can find out more about GP Services in North East Lincolnshire by visiting our GP Services and Online GP Services pages.

Urgent Care

If you need medical help fast but it's not a 999 emergency you can ring 111 or visit 111.nhs.uk. It's open 24 hours a day, every single day of the year.

You should call 111 if:

For less urgent health needs, you should still contact your GP in the usual way during normal opening hours.

In North East Lincolnshire, you can ring 01472 256256 24/7 for anything about your:

Medical Emergencies

Call 999 in a medical emergency. This is when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.

Medical emergencies can include (some items in this list link to the NHS website):

Call 999 immediately if you or someone else is having a heart attack or stroke. Every second counts with these conditions.

Also call 999 if you think someone has had a major trauma, such as after a serious road traffic accident, a stabbing, a shooting, a fall from height, or a serious head injury.