See a Doctor or Healthcare Professional

A range of common illnesses such as cold and flu and minor injuries can be treated at home simply by combining a well-stocked medicine cabinet with plenty of rest. Many patients attend with conditions that would get better with self-care. Studies show that 25-40% of consultations with a GP are unnecessary so it would help if patients only booked an appointment with a GP if they really need to.

Examples of the ailments best treated by yourself are:

• Upset stomach
• Grazed knee
• Common cold
• Sore throat
• Headache
• Colds & Flu

There are a wide variety of helpful Self Care information and resources available which could help you to treat your illness without the need for an appointment:

We have provided our patients with a list of services that you can self-refer to without the need to see a GP or Nurse. You can normally self-refer by phone, attend a drop in clinic or by completing a self-referral form which you can send via email or post to the service of your choice.

Visit a Pharmacy for healthcare advice without an appointment

It is estimated that every year, 50 million visits to the GP are made for minor ailments such as coughs and colds, mild eczema, and athlete’s foot. By visiting your pharmacy instead, you could save yourself time and trouble.

Your local Pharmacist is able to help with minor cuts, sprains, aches and pains, colds and flu, headaches, rashes, cystitis, emergency contraceptive (most Pharmacies now offer this service) and other common conditions.

No appointment is necessary and your local Pharmacist is usually open late, is available at weekends and many public holidays. It will also save you making an appointment with your GP.

Over the Counter Medicines

Please refer to NHS leaflet shown below regarding over the counter medicines.

New Medicine Service

The New Medicine Service is available at Pharmacies to give you extra help and advice if you’re just starting on a new medicine for one of the following conditions:

• asthma
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• type 2 diabetes
• high blood pressure
• people who have been given a new blood-thinning medicine

More about the New Medicine Service.

Treat Yourself Better

We support the campaign to encourage people to self-treat minor ailments such as colds and flu. The Treat Yourself Better Without Antibiotics website is full of information to help people understand when how long they can expect their symptoms to last for, when they need to see a doctor and when they would be better off visiting their local pharmacist for advice. 

Whatever your eye problem your first port of call should be an optometrist. An optometrist is the best person to assess urgent eye problems, check for eye disorders and treat eye conditions. They have the professional training and necessary equipment to assess most eye problems.

If your optician is closed and you can’t wait until it reopens call 111

If you sustain an eye injury that requires immediate emergency treatment go to your nearest Accident and Emergency.

For dental emergencies, call the dentist with whom you are registered. You should receive a recorded message advising you of the arrangements that have been made for emergency cover. If you have not registered with a dentist, please try to do so as soon as possible. Dentist’s can perform an appropriate assessment and advise on necessary intervention including use of any antibiotics.

If you require emergency treatment, you should contact NHS 111

Dental emergencies are: acute dental pain, facial or oral swelling, bleeding from the mouth or trauma.

If you or someone you know needs help with day-to-day living because of illness or disability, this website explains your options and where you can get support.

Call 111

Call 111 when we are closed to speak to an NHS professional on any urgent health or medical issue.

Calls are free from landlines and mobiles.

Urgent Care Centre

Urgent treatment centres are a facility you can go to if you need urgent medical attention, but it’s not a life-threatening situation. 

At the moment, the NHS offers a mix of walk-in centres, urgent care centres, minor injury units and urgent treatment centres, all with different levels of service.

If you have an emergency please call 999

Medical emergencies can include:

• loss of consciousness
• an acute confused state
• fits that aren’t stopping
• chest pain
• breathing difficulties
• severe bleeding that can’t be stopped
• severe allergic reactions
• severe burns or scalds

Mental Health Crisis?

You should call 999 or go to A&E if you, or someone you know, experiences a life-threatening medical or mental health emergency. These are cases where there is immediate danger to life or physical injury. A mental health emergency should be taken as seriously as a medical emergency. If you feel like you may be close to acting on suicidal thoughts or have seriously harmed yourself, you should call 999 or go to A&E directly if you need immediate help and are worried about your safety.

It’s important to use A&E only for serious injuries and major emergencies.

Use your local minor injuries unit if you need medical treatment or advice which does not need a visit to A&E or a medical appointment.

Some examples of problems they deal with:

• sprains and strains
• suspected broken limbs
• minor head injuries
• cuts and grazes
• bites and stings
• minor scalds and burns
• ear and throat infections
• skin infections and rashes
• eye problems
• coughs and colds
• feverish illness in adults
• feverish illness in children
• abdominal pain
• vomiting and diarrhoea
• emergency contraception

The Practice Nurse is usually able to assess the situation and in some cases will organise initial blood tests and other investigations prior to arranging a follow up appointment with your doctor.

See a Nurse about: blood pressure checks, urine infection, cervical smears, dressings, family planning advice, contraceptives, immunisations, diabetes management, asthma care, COPD (heart) care, smoking cessation, free health checks for 40-70 year olds, travel advice etc.

Call the surgery on 01708 440187 to arrange an appointment with a nurse and you may be seen more quickly.

Some patients, often those with complex and long-standing medical problems, may need an appointment with a doctor.

Call the surgery on 01708 440187 to arrange an appointment with a doctor

Hornchurch Healthcare is engaging in an exciting new initiative that will hopefully ease the pressure on GP appointments, and ensure that patients are being signposted correctly and treated by the most appropriate healthcare professional.

Through this service, any patient who contacts the Practice regarding a minor ailment, will, with their consent, be referred for a same-day consultation with a local pharmacy of their choice. Minor illnesses include, but are not limited to, the following: mouth ulcers, acne, earache, headache, bites or stings, sticky eyes, rash, sleep difficulties and sore throat.

Once the referral has been received, the pharmacist will contact the patient on the same day by phone. If appropriate, they may conduct the consultation over the phone or request that the patient attend the pharmacy.

After the consultation, the pharmacist may recommend and sell over-the-counter medicines. Over the counter medications are usually not available on a prescription and so seeing a GP would result in the same outcome. If a patient presents with more serious symptoms than anticipated, the pharmacist will escalate the case and refer the patient on; for example, booking an urgent GP appointment.

As a Practice, we believe that this is a really positive development and an opportunity to harness the vast knowledge and experience of our local pharmacists. Ultimately, it will help us to ensure that emergency appointments are being utilised for patients with the most acute medical needs.