We understand that no-one wants to be unwell in the best of times and especially not during the holiday season so we are working hard to offer as many appointments as possible. In order to meet demand and prioritise those most vulnerable or in need of our help we kindly ask our patients to consider alternative services that may be able to help. Below you will find just some of the services that may be better suited or quicker than waiting for a GP appointment:

Pharmacy First

The Pharmacy First service builds on the NHS Community Pharmacist Consultation Service which has run since October 2019. The consultation service enables patients to be referred into community pharmacy for a minor illness, granting Pharmacy’s with more prescribing power. You may be able to access treatment for the following conditions:

Clinical pathway	Age range
Acute otitis media*	1 to 17 years
Impetigo	1 year and over
Infected insect bites	1 year and over
Shingles	18 years and over
Sinusitis	12 years and over
Sore throat	5 years and over
Uncomplicated urinary tract infections	Women 16-64 years

* Distance selling pharmacies will not complete consultations for acute otitis media.
You can access the pharmacy first service by attending or contacting the pharmacy directly without the need for referral. If you would prefer you can contact the practice or 111 to make a referral on your behalf but you may still be encouraged to contact your chosen pharmacy directly. Not all pharmacy’s are enrolled in the service, please check with your local pharmacy or contact the surgery who can check your closest options. You can read more about Pharmacy First here.

NHS Eye Care Services

NHS Coventry and Rugby have been working together with clinical teams and patient groups to develop a local eye care service to provide care closer to you. As a result a service has been developed to provide treatment for common eye conditions such as red, sore or dry eyes in convenient locations by fully qualified staff. Once examined you will be treated for the condition and only be referred to hospital services when you really to be. The Eye Care Centres listed below have been approved on the basis that they have trained and qualified staff that can examine and treat eye conditions. Contact the Eye Care Centre that is most convenient for you. The team will ask about your symptoms, take your details and book an appointment. Please ensure you take your NHS number with you which you can find on your NHS Medical Card or from your GP surgery. The optician will examine your eye and advise a course of treatment or if your condition requires more specialist treatment, refer you to the right specialist. Follow up appointments to check on your progress may be done by telephone or require another appointment depending on your treatment plan. Your optician will advise you. A letter will be sent to your GP to advise them of your condition and treatment so your records are kept up to date

Why use an Approved Eye Care Centre?
✓ Fully qualified Opticians trained to examine, diagnose and treat eye conditions
✓ Convenient locations across Coventry and Rugby
✓ Free Parking
✓ Open 7 days a week
✓ Early morning and evening appointments – selected centres only
✓ Saturday and Sunday appointments – selected centres only

You can read more about NHS Eye Care Centres here.

For more severe, sight-threatening problems please see the eye emergency referral service by clicking here.

NHS 111

NHS 111 can help if you think you need medical help right now. You can get help from NHS 111 by calling 111, by using it within in the NHS App or by using 111 online. Please note that 111 online will not give you a diagnosis, but will direct you to the best place to get help for your symptoms.

Depending on what you need, you might be advised to:

• call 999 or go to A&E in an emergency
• go to an urgent treatment centre
• see an evening and weekend GP (out-of-hours GP)
• book a callback from a nurse
• get urgent specialist support, for dental or mental health problems
• contact your own GP surgery
• see a pharmacist for help with a minor illness
• look after yourself safely at home

NHS Coventry Walk-in Centre

The Coventry walk-in centre is open from 8am to 10pm and is a GP-led service, open to registered and unregistered patients with or without an appointment, 365 days of the year. You can drop-in to the centre for the following health conditions:

• coughs, colds and flu-like symptoms
• information on staying healthy and health promotion
• muscle and joint injuries – strains and sprains
• skin complaints – rashes, sunburn and head lice
• stomach ache, indigestion, constipation, vomiting and diarrhoea
• women’s health problems; thrush and menstrual advice

The Coventry Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) is located on the first floor, they can assist with the following:

• Wound dressing care
• Minor burns and strains
• Small wounds including minor cuts and bruises
• Removal of stitches
• Animal bites/stings
• Ear and throat infections

Coventry NHS Walk-In Centre
Address: City of Coventry NHS Healthcare Centre
Stoney Stanton Road
Coventry
CV1 4FH
Telephone: 024 7696 4199
UTC reception team, phone 024 7696 4199

How to get there:
By car – the closest public car park is located outside the centre and operates a pay and display service. This can be accessed via leaving Junction two on the Coventry ring road on to Bird Street and staying in the right hand lane and taking the first right turn into the car park on Stoney Stanton Road.
By bus – Bus numbers 4, 13, 13c, 21, 21c, 36 and 36c stop near the centre. All bus services terminate in either the Pool Meadow Bus Station or Trinity Street, which are both a five minute walk away.
By train – When you arrive at Coventry Railway Station take the number 27 bus from directly outside the station entrance to Pool Meadow Bus Station. You will then have a five minute walk to the centre.

If you are unsure whether you should attend A&E or the walk in centre/ an urgent care centre please click here for more information.

Emergency Supply of Medication

In the event that the practice is closed and you have run out of your repeat medication you can request emergency medication in the following ways.

• 111 can help issue you with an emergency supply, you can ring them by dialling 111 or by using the online service.
• Your nominated pharmacy (this being the pharmacy your medication is normally sent to) may be able to issue you an emergency supply to last you until you are able to contact us.
• Visit an urgent treatment centre. You may be able to get your medicine after a consultation.

Mental Health Support

This time of year can be very hard on so many people. It’s always okay to ask for help and you are never a burden for doing so. Below is some services that can help you both when we are closed and in addition to the support you are receiving from the practice.

NHS Talking Therapies (previously known as IAPT)
TT offer services such as talking therapies (such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), counselling, other therapies) guided self-help and help for common mental health problems, like anxiety and depression. If you live in England and are aged 18 or over, you can access NHS talking therapies services for anxiety and depression by visiting their website here. A GP can refer you, or you can refer yourself directly without a referral.

Free listening services
These services offer confidential support from trained volunteers. You can talk about anything that’s troubling you, no matter how difficult. These services will only share your information if they are very worried about you or think you are in immediate danger.

• Call 116 123 to talk to Samaritans, or email: jo@samaritans.org for a reply within 24 hours
• Text “SHOUT” to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line, or text “YM” if you’re under 19
• If you’re under 19, you can also call 0800 1111 to talk to Childline. The number will not appear on your phone bill.
• You can find even more listening services here

111
You can call 111, select option 2 to access a 24/7 helpline offering urgent mental health support. For more information on how they can help, alternative contact for those who are deaf/ hearing impaired or you need help regarding a young person or vulnerable person visit here.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or out of control, you might want to try different methods of calming yourself down. The mental health charity Mind has some useful guides which you can find here. Mind also offers great information on planning for a crisis and how to get help during a crisis. For more information on planning for a crisis to keep yourself safe, visit here.

999/ A&E

In the event of serious illness or injury please don’t hesitate to call 999 or attend A&E. For most of our patients the closest A&E will be:

University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire (UHCW)

Address: Accident and Emergency, Clifford Bridge Road, Coventry CV2 2DX
Phone: 024 7696 4000

For live wait times visit here

George Eliot Hospital

Address: George Eliot Hospital, College St, Nuneaton CV10 7DJ (If you are driving please visit A&E/ Urgent and Emergency Care Centre via the Heath End Road entrance. Follow signs on the hospital site.)
Phone: 024 7615 3761 / 3762