Who is the most appropriate professional for your care?

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.

Examples of the ailments best treated by yourself are:

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

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

Visit a pharmacy for healthcare advice without an appointment

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 open late, is available at weekends and many public holidays. It will also save you making an appointment with your GP

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.

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.

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.

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.

Steps2 wellbeing can help – The Steps to Wellbeing Service is a free, confidential, NHS service for to people aged 18+.  We provide a service across the county of Dorset and in Southampton for people registered at either a Dorset or Southampton GP surgery. As an IAPT service we accept self-referrals by web  and telephone.

Telephone: 0300 7900 542

Office hours: 9:00 – 17:00 Monday – Friday

You can email us at: [email protected]

Need to talk urgently and in confidence?

If you feel you need to talk to someone in confidence, the Samaritans are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on:

Tel: 116 123 

(TEXT MESSAGE ONLY number available on 07725 909090)
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.samaritans.org

There are also local Samaritans branches across Hampshire and Dorset.

You can go straight to your named Health Visitor for advice and guidance on issues such as:

• Growth & development of your baby / child
• Childhood conditions, allergies and infections
• Breastfeeding, bottle feeding and weaning
• Teething
• Post-natal depression and parental mental and physical health
• Child behaviour issues e.g. sleeping, eating, tantrums
• Support with parenting, family health and relationship

Please call the Health Visiting Team on 01202 684774

Antenatal Care

If you are more than six weeks pregnant you can now book your maternity care directly with Poole Hospital’s maternity services at: https://maternitymattersdorset.nhs.uk/refer-ph/.

For all other queries regarding your maternity care, you should call the community midwifery team on

01202 442692 in the first instance.

Pregnancy and Baby: Advice

Am I pregnant? What should I be eating? Is it normal to be this tired? How can I help my partner during labour? Whatever you want to know about getting pregnant, being pregnant or caring for your new baby, you should find it here. Pregnancy Advice

Please note: If heavily bleeding please attend your nearest Accident and Emergency Department.

Sexual Health Dorset is composed of three Sexual Health Service NHS providers in Dorset (Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust, Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospital, and Sexual health clinics) who provide contraceptive and sexual health services across the county.

Telephone for appointments only : 0300 303 1948

Our services include:

• Information and advice about sexual health,
• Testing and treatment of sexually transmitted infections,
• Pregnancy testing and advice,
• Psychosexual Service,
•Working Woman’s project,
• Sex and Relationship Education Service,
• Early Medical Termination Service,
• Provision of emergency hormonal contraception,
• Information and advice about contraception methods,
• Management of complex genito-urinary conditions,
• LGBT outreach clinic (Over The Rainbow in Bournemouth),
• Management of thrush and other genital problems,
• Management of pelvic pain,
• Follow-up and testing after sexual assault,
• Hepatitis B vaccination,
• HPV vaccination.

If you are a housebound patient on the District Nurse caseload, you can get direct help with:

• Wound care
• End of life care
• Care at home after hospital discharge
• Continence assessment
• Equipment assessment

Please call the District Nursing Team on 01202 739389

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.

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

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.

Minor Injuries Unit – Wimborne Comunity Hospital

The Minor Injuries Unit at Wimborne Community Hospital provides a nurse led service assessing and treatment of minor injuries and illness for adults & children. Open 8am – 8pm everyday, please telephone for an appointment.

• advice & treatment of lacerations, burns & wounds, musculoskeletal injuries including sprains, strains and fractures, head injuries, eye injuries, foreign bodies.
• assessments following a fall in the elderly.
• treatment & advice for minor illnesses such as coughs & colds, asthma, bites & stings, rashes & allergic reactions, earache & sore throats, and emergency contraception.

Telephone: 01202 856436

Out-of-hours services are generally busy so please think carefully before asking to see a doctor and only do so if you genuinely cannot wait until the surgery re-opens.

Weymouth Urgent Treatment Centre: Telephone 01305 762541 8am – 8pm everyday

Bridport Minor Injury Unit: Telephone 01308 426245 9am – 8pm week days & 9am – 6pm weekends

Shaftesbury Minor Injury Unit: Telephone 01747 851535 8am – 8pm everyday

Swanage Minor Injury Unit: Telephone 01929 475009 8am – 8pm everyday

The Nurse is 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.

Our Nurses complement the service that we offer to you, our patients. Please be assured that a doctor’s appointment will always be available should you prefer but you may get an earlier appointment if you opt to consult with one of our nursing team.

See a Nurse about: blood pressure checks, wound care, ear syringing, cervical smears, dressings, family planning advice, contraceptives, minor injuries and ailments, immunisations, diabetes management, asthma care, COPD care, smoking cessation, free health checks for 40-70 year olds, travel advice,removal of stitches and clips etc.

Call the surgery on 01202 680111 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 01202 680111 to arrange an appointment with a doctor

Alternatively, there is an urgent primary care centre in Poole and Wimborne hospitals which allow us to book late evening and weekend GP appointments. These are directly bookable through the practice, so just give us a call if you think this is better suited to your needs. For more information, Please see the Urgent Primary Care Centre information leaflet below.