The NHS in Nottingham is reminding people who take regular medication to check their supplies and order repeat prescriptions in plenty of time for the bank holiday.

GP surgeries will be closed over the bank holiday and many pharmacies will be operating reduced opening hours.

 

“If you know you’ll need to take medication over the bank holiday take a moment now to plan ahead to make sure you have time to get your prescriptions and medication,” said Hugh Porter, Chair of NHS Nottingham City Clinical Commissioning Group and a GP at Cripps Health Centre. “A little forward planning now could save a great deal of inconvenience and help make sure everyone has a relaxing bank holiday break.”

 

If you do need medical help or advice over the bank holiday there are a number of places that can help:

 

If you need help fast but don’t think it’s a 999 emergency, you can call 111. The service is available to residents of Nottingham 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is free to call from landlines and mobile phones.

 

If you have a minor illness or injury you can go to an NHS Walk-in Centre at London Road or on Upper Parliament Street.

 

If you need advice for minor health problems you can speak to your pharmacist for on-the-spot advice and remedies for a wide range of problems such as stomach upsets, coughs and colds. Details of Nottingham City pharmacies open on the bank holidays can be found on our website at www.nottinghamcity.nhs.uk/-your-services-/your-pharmacy-services/. 

 

Advice is also available online via NHS Direct’s wide range of online health and symptom checkers at www.nhs.uk/nhsdirect. Answer questions about symptoms to get advice on the most appropriate health service to contact or, if appropriate, the option to request a call-back from an NHS Direct nurse advisor.

 

If you think you need to see a GP out-of-hours, call the usual practice number and you will be put through to the out-of-hours GP service (or given the number to ring) for assessment. GPs and nurses are available through this route to see emergency cases 24 hours a day.

 

You should only call 999 or visit the Emergency Department (A&E) in an emergency. This includes a serious injury or life-threatening problem such as loss of consciousness, severe breathing difficulty, heavy bleeding, severe chest pain, suspected broken bones, deep wounds (e.g. stab wounds), swallowing something harmful or poisonous or a drug overdose.