How to access the NHS services you need

There are a variety of ways the NHS can be accessed, depending on your health concern

If you have aches and pains or generally feel under the weather, you shouldn’t wait for it to get worse (Getty Images)

It is important to remember that there are a variety of ways in which the NHS can be accessed, depending on your individual health concerns.

If you have aches and pains or generally feel under the weather, you shouldn’t wait for it to get worse, and NHS.uk has a complete guide to conditions, symptoms and treatments, including what to do and when to get help.

You can also seek expert advice from NHS 111, and your local pharmacy team can help put your mind at ease as well as giving you access to over-the-counter medicines – and no appointment is needed.

There is also a range of healthcare expertise available via GP practices and minor injury units.

When you contact the NHS your health needs will be assessed to make sure the right care can be offered as quickly as possible. For more urgent concerns, NHS 111 online, including via the NHS app, is always available, which could include directing you to A&E.

The NHS 111 online service will ask you a series of questions about your health problem in order to direct you to the right care.

Depending on the situation, the NHS 111 online service will either direct you to a local service that can help, connect you to a nurse, pharmacist or GP practice and tell you how to get any medicine you need or provide self-care advice.

Sunil Kochhar, a pharmacist at Regent Pharmacy in Gravesend, Kent, said: “I’ve been in this industry for over 20 years, and we’ve had people wanting treatment from us – they can also be referred to us by their GP surgery.

“So if you ring up your GP with a sore throat and it’s a minor illness, the GP team can refer you into the pharmacy for a consultation with a pharmacist, rather than just walking into a pharmacy – and the outcome will be relayed back to the GP, and to your [medical] notes.”

Pressures on the NHS tend to increase over the winter months due to respiratory diseases being caused or worsened by cold weather, along with higher incidence of seasonal illnesses including flu and norovirus.

But the message from the NHS is clear: if you’re worried about your health, don’t delay, and get the care you need.

Sultan Dajani, a pharmacist at The Priory Community Pharmacy, Dudley, West Midlands, says pharmacies offer “an extremely important service. You can see us within minutes and we provide 13 clinical services.”

He added: “We are open weekends, lunchtimes, we have phone help and an online presence.”

Find your nearest pharmacy at: www.nhs.uk/find-a-pharmacy

For NHS 111 online, go to 111.nhs.uk or use the NHS app