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NHS

The NHS website has a banner heading on its home page which reads “We’re here for you, helping you to take control of your health and wellbeing”.

NHS account

One of the steps the NHS encourages you to take is to set up an NHS account. Anyone who is registered with a GP surgery in England and is at least 13 years old and has a mobile phone they can receive security text messages on can have an account.

Once you have an account you can use it to:

If you prefer to use a mobile phone or tablet to access the internet an NHS App is available to download from Google Play or the Apple store. The NHS has been making improvements to the information you can see when you log into your NHS account and the NHS App is also being regularly updated. One cautionary note is that some local residents have found that as they are using a mobile phone that is a few years old that the version of the App their phone can support is not as up to date as the information they can see when they log on via the internet.

If you have yet to register with a GP practice the NHS website has a postcode function to let you know which practices you can register with. Which surgeries will be offered to you will depend upon exactly where in Buckland you live – while the majority of Buckland residents will be directed to Brockwood Medical Practice or Medwyn Surgery some residents will also have the option of Walled House Surgery and a small number of properties fall within the catchment of Heathcote Medical Centre in Tadworth.

Seeking medical help – you have options!

Pharmacies

Pharmacists are experts in medicines who can help you and your family with minor health concerns. Pharmacists 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.

If symptoms suggest it is something more serious, pharmacists have the right training to make sure you get the help you need, e.g. they may tell you if you need to see a GP, nurse or other health professional.

NHS England recently launched Pharmacy First, a service to help you get access to the right care from the right person at the right time for the following seven common conditions that require advice and treatment:

Before contacting your GP practice do consider whether you can go straight to a pharmacy offering Pharmacy First. Most of the pharmacies near Buckland have signed up to this service – if you are unsure which pharmacy to visit use the NHS pharmacy finder tool.

GP Surgery

During surgery hours the NHS asks you to use an online form to help the staff at your GP surgery assess the best way to help you. If you have set up an NHS account you can access the online form via the website or App; anyone can access the online form.

Do try to include as much information as possible to make it easier for the practice team to help you; e.g. if you are not going to be available at certain times or would find it easier to attend an appointment in the evening or on a Saturday do include this on the form to help the surgery staff respond to your request. If you have provided a mobile telephone number for the surgery to contact you do keep the phone nearby with the volume turned up and check your text messages periodically (especially if you have disabled notifications).

Trained members of staff will review the information you provide to decide how best to help you.

They may arrange for a member of the practice team to either call you or send you a message to provide advice and/or book an appointment.

They may also refer you via Pharmacy First to see a trained pharmacist who can offer advice and (where clinically appropriate) supply some NHS medicines. If you know you are seeking help for one of the seven conditions your GP surgery can refer a patient to a pharmacy do please consider referring yourself to a pharmacy to save you time:

In the interests of patient safety many GP practices only make the online form for medical help available during surgery hours to ensure they can process all requests before the surgery closes for the day. There are other options available if you need help outside surgery hours.

111 services

If you need help now, and you are not sure what to do call 111 or visit 111 online.

The 111 online service takes you through the same questions as the 111 call handler and can be used for anyone aged 5 and over.

Depending on your symptoms, 111 (either the online system or the call operator) may advise you to:

Urgent Treatment Centres

Urgent treatment centres, minor injuries units and walk-in centres are all types of urgent care service. They are separate from A&E, although some might be located in the same hospital building.

Urgent treatment centres provide medical help when it’s not a life-threatening emergency. They can diagnose and deal with many of the common problems people go to A&E for and are often seen much quicker than they would be if they went to A&E. Urgent treatment centres are usually staffed by nurses. If you need one, you can often get tests like an ECG (electrocardiogram), blood tests or an X-ray.

They can help with things like: 

The urgent treatment centre at Crawley Hospital is open daily between 7.30am and 10pm and can see all ages.

Minor injuries units or walk-in centres offer some, but not all, of the same help as urgent treatment centres. No appointment is needed but  you can book a timed arrival slot through NHS 111 – this helps the team know you’re coming and it will also help you get seen more quickly. Caterham Dene Minor Injury Unit can see adults and children over the age of 5, 7 days a week, between 8am and 7.30pm. Horsham Hospital has a Minor Injury Unit that is open between 9am and 5pm, Mondays to Fridays (excluding bank holidays).

Accident and Emergency

A&E (accident and emergency) is for serious injuries and life-threatening emergencies only. It is also known as the emergency department or casualty. Life-threatening emergencies are different for adults and children. Visit the NHS website for more guidance.

Non Emergency Patient Transport

Surrey Heartlands has a new non emergency patient transport scheme provider, EMED Group, starting from 1st April 2024. The service will provide in-scope journeys for patients that are eligible for NHS Funded transport, including in-patient discharges, outpatient journeys and transport to and from renal dialysis appointments.
 
Visit this dedicated website for information and some leaflets to download. The booking phone number and online booking link will be available on this page from 1st April.

Other sources of support

RNID Online hearing test

Check your hearing in just 3 minutes with the RNID free online hearing test. The online hearing test is for you if you’re aged 18 or over and have not been diagnosed with hearing loss. The test measures how well you can hear speech when there’s background noise. You’ll find out if you need to see someone about your hearing, and get RNID advice on what to do next. Visit the RNID website to take the test

If life is getting tough reach out for support

First Steps is a new service available to patients, carers and their family members, offering Surrey residents aged 18 years+ a telephone, text and email wellbeing service which aims to get people to the right service in a timely manner.

When someone calls First Steps they will be able to speak to friendly, knowledgeable staff to explore the causes of their emotional issues and how to address these by considering self-help and early access to talking therapies, alongside signposting :

1.      to services offering support to address the key causes of wellbeing issues including financial, housing, employment, isolation; and

2. to local community organisations for sustained support and resilience.

First Steps to Support is open: Mon: 8am to 3pm Tue: 9am to 4pm Wed: 10am to 5pm Thu: 9am to 7pm Fri: 10am to 2pm
Tel.: 0333 332 4753 SMS: 07860 026657 Email: dohel.firststeps.surrey@nhs.net

NHS Talking Therapies

We Are With You, is a charity commissioned to deliver NHS Talking Therapies in Surrey.  The service is available free of any charge to anyone aged 17 years or over and registered with a GP in Surrey.  They offer evidence based Talking Therapies to people struggling with poor mental health including (but not limited to) Depression, Anxiety, Panic, OCD, Stress.  Symptoms may be low, moderate or severe intensity and following an assessment clients would be offered the most suitable therapy for them.   Clients do not need a GP referral (although this is possible) and can be referred by another professional or by themselves either by calling them direct or visiting their Website link. 

The service currently has no waiting list and has the capacity to process referrals promptly. If you or someone you know might benefit, don’t delay and make that referral.