Surrey Heartlands urges people to ‘Help us, help you’ ahead of the Easter bank holiday weekend | News

People living in Surrey Heartlands are being urged to play their part in helping the NHS and social care teams manage what’s expected to be a busy bank holiday weekend.

The call comes as the system continues to see a high demand for care across primary, community, social care, hospital, NHS 111 and ambulance services. With higher levels of staff sickness due to Covid, the partnership wants to make sure people know how to access help and support if they need it over the Easter weekend – and how they can help – by choosing the right service.

There are a range of services available to anyone who needs help including:

• Pharmacists, who are are experts in medicines, can help you and your family with minor health concerns. 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. Details of pharmacies in Surrey Heartlands open over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend can be found here.
• GP services – Over the bank holiday weekend some practices will be offering pre-booked appointments and there will also be GP appointments available through NHS 111. People can also visit their GP practice website for a range of online services (including repeat prescription requests, other online requests and to book a routine appointment) and if people urgently need repeat prescriptions they are being encouraged to plan ahead and collect these before we go into the bank holiday weekend.
• NHS 111 – If you, or your family, need urgent health advice but it’s not an emergency you can get help at NHS 111 online (www.111.nhs.uk) or by calling 111 24 hours a day. NHS 111 can provide advice over the phone and link you in with local services – including GP services, walk-in centres and other local services - to help you get the care you need in the right place.
• Emergency Department (also known as A&E) is only for medical emergencies and life-threatening conditions.