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 ailments best treated yourself:

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

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

Who do I see?

Provides you with information and supporting links for treatments for some of the most common conditions, services, or most suitable healthcare professional that you should see. ‘Who do I see?’, will signpost you to the most appropriate help and care.

Visit a pharmacy for healthcare advice without an appointment

Your local pharmacist is able to help with minor cuts, sprains, aches and pains, colds and flu, headaches, rashes, cystitis, emergency contraceptive (most pharmacies now offer this service) and other common conditions.

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.

Everyone can go to their pharmacist for advice or to buy a medicine for a minor illness or ailment. This is a NHS service. It means that if your pharmacist thinks you need it then they can give you a medicine on the NHS. It will also save you making an appointment with your GP simply to get a prescription.

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. 

No appointment is necessary and your local pharmacist is open late, is available at weekends and many public holidays.

Borders Sexual Health

Hawick Community Hospital, Victoria Road, Hawick TD9 7AH

Telephone: 01896 663700

Monday 
09:30 – 12:00 Appointment (Alternate Weeks)
18:00 – 19:30 Appointment
Wednesday
09:30 – 12:00 Drop in
Thursday
14:30 – 16:30 Appointment

Borders Sexual Health offer the following services:

• Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI’s) testing and treatment; including Chlamydia Gonorrhoea, Syphilis, HIV and Hepatitis B & C
• Advice on and a range of contraception options, including long acting contraception (LARC)
• Long-acting contraception including intrauterine devices (IUD and IUS), implants and injectable contraception
• Emergency contraception
• C Card & C Card +
• Pregnancy tests, advice on termination of pregnancy (abortion), and if needed, referral for termination
• PrEP (Pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV) and PEPSE (post-exposure prophylaxis for sexual exposure to HIV)
• Care and treatment for people living with HIV
• Vaccination for Hepatitis B and HPV (wart virus)

Lifestyle Adviser Support Service (LASS)

Our Wellbeing team can be contacted on: 01896 824502 

The LASS service offers support and advice to people, aged 16 years and over, wishing to make a lifestyle change to improve their health.

Stop Smoking Service

For further support to stop smoking or for further information on the NHS Borders Quit4Good service, call NHS Borders Quit4Good ono 01835 825971 (office hours Monday-Friday; 24-hour answer machine.

Podiatry

The Podiatry service is a foot health service which offers advice, support and care based on clinical need.

Most patients are seen in local health centres. We have specialist services for Diabetes, Rheumatology, Musculo Skeletal Podiatry – adults and children, and Learning Disabilities.

Telephone: 01896 826538

You can refer yourself directly for Podiatry assessment.

There are lots of services which offer help and support to improve your quality of life and allow you to continue to live in your own home. For example, if you are elderly or disabled, have a long-term health condition or are unwell. However, it can sometimes be confusing to try to work out what help is available and who offers what services.

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.

Advice and information is available by calling a Dental Advice Helpline.

However, if you are unregistered currently and you require emergency treatment, you should contact NHS 24 on 111.

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

Community Optician

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.

Find a local Optician in your area (once you are linked to the NHS Inform page, select your local Health Board or local Authority to find an Optician near you).

Self-help guide: Eye problems

Find out more about your eye problems, when you can use self-care, and what to do if your condition worsens and you need medical help

If your optician is closed and you can’t wait until it reopens call NHS24 on 111.

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

Breathing Space was launched in 2002 to address serious concerns about the mental wellbeing of people in Scotland. The service became a national phoneline in 2004.

Breathing Space complements the work of other phone lines and agencies which are endeavouring to reduce suicide rates in Scotland.

Our advisors come from a range of mental health, counselling and social work backgrounds. There is an equal ratio of male to female advisors.

Need help now? Call free on 0800 83 85 87.

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.

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.

For everything else, Minor Injury Units, out-of-hours services and your local pharmacy can also help.

Use your local Minor Injuries Unit if you need medical treatment or advice which does not require 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

How this Service Helps

The helpline is operated by the Musculoskeletal Advice and Triage Service (MATS) and is provided by fully trained call operators, nurses and physiotherapists.

This service can help by:

• finding out if you need to see a doctor
• providing key information and advice to help with your problem
• referring you to a physiotherapist or podiatrist if you need it

They can’t:

• arrange home visits – this should be arranged by your Doctor
• book and manage your physiotherapy appointments

Call 0800 917 9390 (9:00am to 5:00pm, Monday to Friday). Calls are free from landlines and mobiles.

The Nurse Practitioner is usually able to assess the situation and in some cases will organise initial blood tests and other investigations prior to arranging a follow up appointment with your Doctor.

The Nurse Practitioners complement the service that we offer to you, our patients. Please be assured that a Doctor’s appointment will always be available should you prefer, but you may get an earlier appointment if you opt to consult the Nurse Practitioners.

The Nurse Practitioner is qualified to diagnose and prescribe, if necessary for many common ailments such as:

• Ear, Nose and Throat problems
• Coughs and Chest Infections
• Urinary Problems
• Skin problems
• Allergies
• Childhood Illnesses
• Sexually transmitted infections
• Back Pain
• Eye problems
• Contraceptive Pill Review
• Emergency Contraception

Call the surgery on 01450 370999 to arrange an appointment with a nurse and you may be seen more quickly.

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

Call the surgery on 01450 370999 to arrange an appointment with a doctor