See a Doctor or Healthcare Professional

A range of common illnesses such as cold and flu and minor injuries can be treated at home simply by combining a well-stocked medicine cabinet with plenty of rest.

Examples of the ailments best treated by yourself are:

• Upset stomach
• Grazed knee
• Common cold
• Sore throat
• Headache
• Colds & Flu

There are a wide variety of helpful Self Care information and resources available which could help you to treat your illness without the need for an appointment:

Visit a Pharmacy for healthcare advice without an appointment

It is estimated that every year, 50 million visits to the GP are made for minor ailments such as coughs and colds, mild eczema, and athlete’s foot. By visiting your pharmacy instead, you could save yourself time and trouble.

The Pharmacy First scheme provides advice, treatment and medicines for common ailments from your local pharmacy. How does it work?

If you have any common ailments, you can access the Pharmacy First scheme in two ways:

• Visit one of the pharmacies taking part in the Pharmacy First scheme.  You will be seen promptly by a member of the pharmacy team and you can ask to be seen in private.
• Some practices use this scheme and may give you a voucher (one per patient) to take to the pharmacy. 

New Medicine Service

The New Medicine Service is available at Pharmacies to give you extra help and advice if you’re just starting on a new medicine for one of the following conditions:

• asthma
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• type 2 diabetes
• high blood pressure
• people who have been given a new blood-thinning medicine

More about the New Medicine Service.

Treat Yourself Better

We support the campaign to encourage people to self-treat minor ailments such as colds and flu. The Treat Yourself Better Without Antibiotics website is full of information to help people understand when how long they can expect their symptoms to last for, when they need to see a doctor and when they would be better off visiting their local pharmacist for advice. 

Improving Access to Psychological Therapies

We want to make access to psychological therapy as easy as possible; so we have created several ways for you to access our services.

Self referral

To register your referral, we will need your name, date of birth, contact details including postal address, and name of the GP surgery you are registered with.

Podiatry

We provide a wide range of foot health services at University Hospital Lewisham and in the community. This includes assessment, diagnosis, treatment, education and advice on disease and deformities related to the foot and lower limb.

How can you get a referral?

Any person registered with a Lewisham GP can be referred by their GP or apply to the service by submitting an application form. However, only people with a health condition that impacts on the health of their feet, or people with a significant foot problem such as a wound, acutely ingrowing nail or painful musculoskeletal condition, can be given access to the service.

Stop Smoking

You can book an appointment to see a stop smoking advisor at one of several clinics in Lewisham that will offer free support and medication on prescription to help you quit. 

Smokefree Lewisham

Are you looking to stop smoking? The Lewisham NHS Stop Smoking Service website can help you find out everything you need to know on how we cn help you to stop smoking.

Maternity Services

The maternity unit at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, is a multi award winning maternity service. They are absolutely committed to providing high quality maternity care for women and their partners during their pregnancy, labour and after the birth of their baby.

Your antenatal care

Community midwives run antenatal clinics in Children’s Centres and GP practices close to where you live, and are often the first point of contact for pregnant women. It is important you contact your midwife a soon as possible in pregnancy so that they can plan your ongoing care with you.

Did you know you can refer yourself for an appointment with one of our midwives without speaking to your GP first?

You can self-refer by calling our midwife hotline on 07787 841 986, or alternatively by completing the online self-referral form; you can access this by clicking on the button shown below.

Whatever your eye problem your first port of call should be an optometrist. An optometrist is the best person to assess urgent eye problems, check for eye disorders and treat eye conditions. They have the professional training and necessary equipment to assess most eye problems.

If your optician is closed and you can’t wait until it reopens call 111

If you sustain an eye injury that requires immediate emergency treatment go to your nearest Accident and Emergency.

For dental emergencies, call the dentist with whom you are registered. You should receive a recorded message advising you of the arrangements that have been made for emergency cover. If you have not registered with a dentist, please try to do so as soon as possible. Dentist’s can perform an appropriate assessment and advise on necessary intervention including use of any antibiotics.

If you require emergency treatment, you should contact NHS 111

Dental emergencies are: acute dental pain, facial or oral swelling, bleeding from the mouth or trauma.

If you or someone you know needs help with day-to-day living because of illness or disability, this website explains your options and where you can get support.

Call 111

NHS 111 is a free phone service which is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

It offers you a one-stop number if you have urgent, but not life-threatening, symptoms and want a fast and easy way to get help when you need it. 

You should call 111 if:

• it’s not a 999 emergency
• you think you need to go to A&E or another NHS urgent care service
• you don’t think it can wait for an appointment with your GP
• you don’t know who to call for medical help.

For less urgent health needs you should still contact your GP in the usual way. For immediate, life-threatening emergencies, continue to call 999.

If you have an emergency please call 999

Medical emergencies can include:

• loss of consciousness
• an acute confused state
• fits that aren’t stopping
• chest pain
• breathing difficulties
• severe bleeding that can’t be stopped
• severe allergic reactions
• severe burns or scalds

It’s important to use A&E only for serious injuries and major emergencies.

Use your local minor injuries unit if you need medical treatment or advice which does not need a visit to A&E or a medical appointment.

Some examples of problems they deal with:

• sprains and strains
• suspected broken limbs
• minor head injuries
• cuts and grazes
• bites and stings
• minor scalds and burns
• ear and throat infections
• skin infections and rashes
• eye problems
• coughs and colds
• feverish illness in adults
• feverish illness in children
• abdominal pain
• vomiting and diarrhoea
• emergency contraception

Some patients, often those with complex and long-standing medical problems, may need an appointment with a doctor.

Call 0330 128 1050 to arrange an appointment with a doctor