Not feeling well..? Where to go guide

27 January 2010, 11:47 | Updated: 8 February 2010, 12:16

A&E attendance figures issued by the NHS Information Centre show that nationally over a third of patients who go to A&E only need to be given guidance and advice rather than medical treatment.

Services available across Hampshire include:

Pharmacies - community pharmacists are qualified experts who can give confidential advice on common minor illnesses like coughs and colds, headaches or cystitis, as well as medicines and emergency contraception. To find your local pharmacy visit www.hampshire.nhs.uk or call NHS Direct on 0845 4647.

NHS Direct - health advice is available via NHS Direct 24 hours a day by calling 0845 4647 or visiting www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk. NHS Direct provides free, expert health advice and information and is run by qualified nurses.

GP surgery - if the options above are not appropriate for your condition, you can call your surgery for an appointment with your GP or practice nurse. Your GP can help with vaccinations, prescriptions, medical advice and healthcare. To find your local GP visit www.hampshire.nhs.uk or call NHS Direct on 0845 4647.

Out of Hours (OOH) Service - if you have an urgent problem which can’t wait until your GP surgery opens you can call the Out of Hours Service (OOH). There are different OOH numbers for different areas, depending on where you live:

• New Forest, Winchester, Eastleigh and Test Valley - 0844 811 3060

• East Hampshire, Basingstoke and Deane, Rushmoor and Hart - 0118 936 5592

• Alton, Petersfield and Bordon areas - 020 8390 9991

• Gosport, Havant and Fareham areas - call your GP surgery in the usual way and listen for the number of the out of hours service.

Dental emergencies - for out of hours dental emergencies phone 0845 050 8345. You can also use this number to book emergency dental care during the day, Monday to Fridays.

Minor Injuries Units - specially trained nurses can treat minor injuries and illnesses, they have access to an X-ray department and can treat suspected broken bones as well as cuts and bruises, strains and sprains and they also provide emergency contraception. You can get help at:

Unit Phone number Opening hours

Lymington New Forest Hospital 01590 663 000 8am to 9pm every day

Andover War Memorial Hospital Minor Injuries Unit 01264 835 218 8:30am to 9.30pm every day

St Mary’s Treatment Centre, Portsmouth 0845 076 5551 8am to 9.30pm every day

Gosport War Memorial Hospital Minor Injuries Unit 023 9252 4611 8am to 9pm every day

Petersfield Minor Injuries Unit 01730 263221 X125 8am to 8pm every day

Emergency Department (A&E) - for symptoms of serious illness and major accidents such as loss of consciousness, severe chest pain, breathing difficulties, and severe bleeding choose the Emergency Department at Southampton General Hospital; Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth; Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester; or Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital or call 999.

Emergency services are very busy. You should only attend the emergency department if you are very badly hurt or if you become seriously ill (life threatening).

Make sure that the Emergency Department (A&E) is available if you or your loved ones need it by NOT choosing this service unless you really need to.