All You Need To Know

• How can I make an appointment with my GP?

  You can phone your registered GP surgery and speak to a receptionist to book an appointment, or pop in and ask for an appointment face to face. They will give you a date and time of your appointment. You can even ask for them to text you a reminder if they have your phone number on their records.  

  Patients under the age of 16 should normally go with a parent when seeing a doctor, or collecting medicines. But you can see the doctor under this age to discuss sexual health matters including contraception if you would like.

  Once you’re 16 you can make all of your own medical decisions. If you’re under 16 you can still do this, but the doctor needs to be confident that you understand the decisions you have to make.

  Appointments for 11-16 year olds explained

• What can the pharmacy do for me?

  Pharmacists know a lot about minor illnesses and what medicines can be used to treat them. If you have any of the following you can go to see a pharmacist for treatment. 

  • Aches and pains
  • Sore throat, coughs and colds
  • Flu
  • Earache
  • Cystitis
  • Skin rashes
  • Red eye.

• What advice can I get from 111?

  111 is an NHS information service. When you phone up, or go online they will ask you lots of questions (some might not seem related to your illness) so that they can work out the best course of action to help you.
  
  They will be able to give you advice or tell you where to go to get treatment. You can simply call 111, or find the service online.

• Where is my local walk-in centre?

  NHS walk-in centres are open to everyone. You don't need to book an appointment and you can just turn up to be treated, but you may need to wait for a while, especially if it's a busy time. 

  Walk-in centres can't help you with broken bones, but they do cover lots of health worries including:

  • Minor cuts, bruises, burns, strains, insect and animal bites
  • Stitches, wounds and dressing care
  • Serious cuts or wounds and fractures
  • Infections, rashes, hay fever
  • Stomach aches, vomiting and/or diarrhoea
  • Blood pressure checks
  • Emergency contraception (pharmacists can also help with this).

  Find your local walk-in centre

• Who can I go to for mental health support?

  If you or a friend is struggling with your mental health, it's good to share the load and talk about it. There are lots of services around for young people and if you feel you can't speak about it, you can text.

  Mental health advice and support has lots of local services and who to get it touch with. You can also make a request for support.

  For 24/7 immediate advice, support and signposting for anyone with mental health difficulties please contact 111 and select the mental health option. 

  If you feel someone's life is at risk or they cannot be kept safe, call 999 or go to A&E.

• What information is confidential?

  Confidential means keeping information safe and private.

  The health service keeps all your health information confidential, unless they need to share something with other professionals to keep you safe. They would always tell you if they were worried, needed to talk to somebody else and ask for your consent. This includes:

  • Anything you say
  • Information someone writes about you, and
  • Details of any treatment you have had.

  You can talk to health workers about anything to do with your health.

• How do I pick up my prescription?

  Once you've been prescribed some medication by a doctor or prescribing nurse, you'll need to pick it up. You may have been given a paper prescription, or it might have been sent electronically to a chosen pharmacy. Your doctor will let you know. 

  Patients under the age of 16 should normally be accompanied by an adult when collecting medicines. Once you’re 16 you can make all of your own medical decisions. If you’re under 16 you can still do this, but the doctor needs to be confident that you understand the decisions you have to make.

• Do I have to pay for my prescription?

  If you live in England and are under 16, or if you are aged 16-18 and in full-time education, then your prescription is free.

  The prescription charge for England is currently £9.65 per item. If you are older than 16 and need frequent prescriptions, you can buy a pre-paid certificate which costs £111.60 for a year, or £31.25 for 3 months which can work out cheaper if you need lots of different medications.