There are different healthcare services available to help you find the right expert care to treat your condition. For minor, short term conditions, you can self-care or ask a pharmacist for advice. Emergency services deal with serious medical needs where there is a serious risk to life or your health.
Self-care
Self-care is the best choice to treat minor illnesses, ailments and injuries. Common illnesses and complaints, such as aches and pains, coughs, colds, upset stomachs and sore throats can be treated with over-the-counter medicines and plenty of rest. Most of these conditions improve whether you get treatment or not.
In a pharmacy you can buy over-the-counter paracetamol, aspirin, ibuprofen, rehydration mixtures, indigestion remedies and plasters.
Pharmacists
A pharmacist can give confidential, expert advice and treatment for some common illnesses and complaints, without you seeing your GP or going to an emergency department.
They can help with things such as eye infections, stomach upsets, skin conditions, allergies, aches and pains. They can also help with women’s health, including treatment for thrush, emergency contraception, pregnancy testing and children’s health, including nappy rash, teething, coughs and colds.
Your GP
GPs provide health services including medical advice, examinations, prescriptions and ongoing care for longstanding or chronic conditions. They can also provide diagnosis of symptoms, health education and vaccinations.
The Royal College of General Practitioners has more information on getting the most out of your health service, including a leaflet, which can be found in the ‘more information’ section.
Out of hours
The GP out of hours service is for people who need urgent medical treatment but cannot wait until their doctor’s practice opens. GP out of hours service is available:
- from 6.00 pm during the week until your GP surgery opens the next morning
- 24 hours on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays
You should telephone the service first. The doctor or nurse will tell you if you need to see a doctor or refer you to another service.
Mental health
When you experience problems with your mental health, it is important to talk to your GP about your thoughts and feelings. Your GP will assess you. With your GP’s help, you can decide about any treatment or action to take.
Mental health emergency
If your mental or emotional state quickly gets worse, it is a mental health emergency or mental health crisis. When this happens, you need to get help quickly. If you’re having treatment or were treated for a mental illness, you should have a care plan. Your care plan has names and numbers to contact in an emergency.
If you don’t have a care plan, you should:
- make an emergency appointment with your GP or your GP out of hours service when the emergency is at night, weekend or a public holiday
- go to a hospital emergency department
- Out of hours service
Minor injuries
A Minor Injuries Unit can treat injuries that are not critical or life-threatening, such as injuries to upper and lower limbs; broken bones, sprains, bruises and wounds; bites – human, animal and insect; burns and scalds; abscesses and wound infections and minor head injuries.
Emergency Department
Emergency Departments provide the highest level of emergency care for patients, especially those with sudden and acute illness or severe trauma, such as:
- suspected heart attack
- suspected stroke
- serious head injury
- serious accident
Staff will assess your medical condition when you arrive. You can check average waiting times to see the nurse or doctor in Emergency Departments at participating hospitals in Northern Ireland.