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

A GP, nurse or pharmacist will generally not give you a prescription for over-the-counter (OTC) medicines for a range of minor health conditions.

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.

Covid -19 Urgent Eye Care Service

The aim of the Covid-19 Urgent Eyecare Service (CUES) is to ensure people can access urgent eye care within primary care during the coronavirus pandemic. Presenting symptoms will typically include a red or painful eye, foreign body, sudden change in vision, or flashes and floaters which might suggest retinal detachment.

Please contact a participating local optical practice directly, participating practices can be found at Primary Eye Care.

The first optical practice contacted will triage and direct you to the most appropriate clinician for your condition if a face to face appointment is required.

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

Who is the service for?

If you are a Stockport Resident or registered with a Stockport GP you can make use of the Treatment Room Service. This service provides treatment and advice to patients, and can be located in several clinics and health centres across Stockport.

The service provides wound care, removal of stitches or clips following surgery or emergency treatment at the hospital, management of urinary catheters and ear care. The Treatment Room Nurses will also give education / advice and will promote self-care where appropriate.

On your visit to the Treatment Room the nurse will complete an assessment which will include information about yourself and your lifestyle, this will enable the nurse to discuss your needs and plan your treatment.

The Treatment Room Nursing Team works very closely with other Healthcare Professionals. If at any point during your treatment the nurse feels a referral to a specialist service is required this will be completed by the Treatment Room Nurse.

Please arrive in good time for your appointment and please inform us if you find that you cannot attend and we can make arrangements for an alternative appointment.

How to make an appointment?

• You can make an appointment by ringing: 0161 426 9636
• Between 9.30 and 16:00 – Monday to Friday

Please note that we experience high call volume when the booking line first opens. If you struggle to get through please make your call later in the day.

Every effort will be made to provide an appointment at the centre of your choice; however this may not always be possible. If this is the case our staff will offer you an appointment at an alternative location.

First appointments for Treatment Room are available Monday to Friday at the following locations.

Our Nurses are 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, cervical smears, immunisations, diabetes management, asthma care, COPD (heart) care, smoking cessation, free health checks for 40-70 year olds, travel advice,removal of stitches etc.

To help the practice meet the needs of our patients we have introduced ACP’s to the clinical team. Their role is to deal with the demands for minor illness conditions which DO NOT require a GP to deal with. In doing so, this enables the GP to be available to manage the patients with complex needs. 

An ACP is a registered nurse who has received additional university education to increase their ability to treat, diagnose, counsel and educate patients, who have Minor Illnesses. They can also prescribe various medications for the patient removing the need for any further appointments.

The ACP will educate and empower you to self manage your minor illness, therefore preventing the need for you to need to visit the surgery in the future as often self care is all that is required without the need of any medical intervention.

Minor illnesses by definition are not urgent or emergency problems. 

Our reception staff will make you an appointment with the ACP, as this is the most appropriate clinician to deal with this type of condition.

Please do not be offended that you have not been offered a GP appointment as this would be not be efficient use of a GP times, which you may need in the future.

Some patients, often those with complex and long-standing medical problems, may need an appointment with a doctor. We will conduct a telephone or video consultation remotely initially and if the GP and yourself mutually agree then a face to face appointment will be made directly with the GP at a time that is convenient. Please watch the link below for an explanation.

https://florey.accurx.com/p/P88632