Your health and services

Stay Well in West Leicestershire

It’s not always easy to understand where to go for health advice when you’re not well.

Our guide below will help you know when to use which service, including self care and pharmacists, GPs, NHS111, urgent care centres or 999,.

If you're in doubt about which service is best for you, call NHS111.

  

Learn how to take care of your health for life

We want to help build your confidence in preventing and treating minor illnesses yourself. We’ve brought together a full range of videos, factsheets and information all in one easy place, to help you become better equipped to take control of your health for life.

 
Children’s health: How to take care of common childhood illnesses such as coughs and colds, fever, upset tummies, rashes and bumps, bruises and falls.
 
Older people: As we age, it becomes more important to take care of ourselves to prevent us from becoming unwell, particularly over the winter. Advice about keeping warm, preventing slips, trips and falls and generally staying healthy.
  
Caring for others: Advice for you if you look after someone on a daily basis, who wouldn’t cope without your help. If you’re a carer, make sure you tell your GP and that you get the support you need to look after your own health too, not just the person you care for.
  
Long term conditions and mental health: If you have a long term condition, it is very important to stay on top of things to prevent the condition from getting worse. Advice on how to do this, as well as how to maximise your mental wellbeing.
 
We’re also encouraging everyone to sign up to the Summary Care Record. If you need medical help outside of your GP Practice’s normal working hours, the information in your health record will help health professionals to make the most informed decisions about your care.
 
Taking care of coughs and colds: A significant proportion of GP time is taken up with common winter viruses, such as coughs, colds and sore throats. We’ve got lots of tips on how to take care of winter bugs at home, how to prevent the spread of infection and when you might need to seek further help.
 
Keep antibiotics working: Advice on why we need to limit our use of antibiotics for minor health conditions, so that they will continue to be effective against serious illnesses. Antibiotics will not cure common winter bugs, so we’re asking everyone not to pressure their GP to prescribe them.

 

Look after your health - and seek help early before your condition escalates

 

Keep your medicine cabinet well stocked

If you’re on medication, make sure you get your repeat prescriptions in time so you don’t run out.

Talk to your GP practice about registering for Patient Online so you can request repeat prescriptions online and make GP appointments. 

  

 

Use your local pharmacy  

You can speak to a pharmacist for expert advice and treatment for minor health problems.

Pharmacists are qualified to provide expert advice and treatment for many common illnesses such as sore throats and runny noses, without the need for an appointment. Most also have private consultation areas.

Take our quiz to find out how a pharmacist could help you feel better.

Find your local pharmacist.

 

 

Know where to go for support

Local support groups are also a valuable resource – particularly for patients with long term conditions or who might be feeling isolated.

First Contact Plus in Leicestershire can help in a wide variety of ways to support you to live independently, stay safe, manage finances or find work or volunteering opportunities.

You can self refer online.

You can also find out more information about support and activities in the Voluntary and Community Sector on the Voluntary Action Leicestershire website

 

 

Know where to get further advice

If you’ve followed the above steps but symptoms are continuing or getting worse, then get further medical advice:

  1. Make an appointment to see your GP
  2. Get advice on non-urgent medical problems by calling NHS111, which is open 24/7 and free from any mobile or landline.
  3. Think you need to see someone urgently but it’s not life threatening? Call 111 for immediate advice (call 999 if it’s a life threatening emergency).
  4. Find useful information on symptoms and treatments on the NHS Choices website at www.nhs.uk
 
 

About NHS111

You’ll speak to a highly trained call adviser who will assess your condition and, if necessary, transfer you to a clinician for a second opinion. They can give you the healthcare advice you need or direct you to the local service that can help you best.
 
That could be an out-of-hours doctor or an urgent care centre, a community nurse, an emergency dentist or a late-opening chemist. They will be able to tell you the opening times, locations and in many cases be able to make you an appointment with the service so that you don’t have to wait.
 
NHS111 can also refer to mental health support services as well as other healthcare services, and are often able to make immediate appointments for you.
 
 

 

If you need to see someone in person but it’s not an emergency, visit an Urgent Care Centre

In West Leicestershire and the surrounding areas we have several Urgent Care Centres which you can visit if you have an urgent, but non-life threatening need. At these centres you’ll be seen quickly by a clinician and they can treat a wide variety of urgent conditions. 

Typical conditions which might be treated in an urgent care centre are sports injuries and falls. They can check any cuts and give you stitches if you need them, and also reset dislocated limbs. Some urgent care centres can also perform x-rays and set broken bones. Other examples include animal bites, as urgent care centres can give tetanus shots as well as cleaning and stitching wounds.

 

Nearest Urgent Care Centre in West Leicestershire is:

Loughborough Hospital

Urgent Care Centre - Open 24 hours, 365 days a year.

Hospital Way

Loughborough

LE11 5JY

Tel: 01509 568800

If in doubt, call 111 and they will be able to direct you to the best place to visit, and can make appointments to ensure you are seen as quickly as possible.

You can find your closest urgent care centre by using the NHS Choices Urgent Care Centre finder

View this image for more information. 

If it's a life threatening emergency call 999

It’s always important to think "is this call an emergency?" before you dial 999, and if you aren’t sure that it is, then call 111 instead.

Always call 999 if someone is seriously ill or injured, and their life is at risk. So if you or a loved one is for example experiencing serious chest pain, difficulty in breathing or is unconscious, it’s important that they are seen as soon as possible by a medical professional.

 

Other conditions which may require an ambulance include severe wounds, burns or scalds, if a person is choking, suffering from fits or concussion or is experiencing a severe allergic reaction.

 

You can find out more about East Midlands Ambulance Service and the work that they do on their website.

 

Read more about Leicester Royal Infirmary's emergency department