Choose self-care
When you’re feeling ill with a minor illness like a cold or sore throat, or have picked up a minor injury, do you know how to treat the symptoms at home?
Health experts in Lincolnshire are encouraging us all to take control of our health and wellbeing so we can get better sooner. It’s called ‘self care’ and aims to empower us to know how to recognise symptoms, know how to treat them as soon they appear using over-the-counter medicines, and when to get more advice from a pharmacist or NHS 111.
How your community pharmacy can help
Your community pharmacy team can give you help and advice on what medication would be suitable for you and will check that it “goes with” any prescription medicines that you take too.
If you need a medicine that you cannot buy over the counter the pharmacy may be able to treat you using one of our specialised NHS services which are offered by some pharmacies in Lincolnshire – you can more information about these on the Special Services page of this website. The pharmacy team can also help you to decide if you have a condition that means you need to make an appointment with your GP.
Please ask at your PHARMACY FIRST as this way we can help with advice for you, often allowing you to purchase a medicine over the counter or perhaps supplying under a specialist clinical pharmacy service (if suitable). This will save you time, you get your treatment more quickly and it saves you waiting for a GP appointment.
First aid at home
It’s important to have a well-stocked first aid kit in your home so you can deal with minor accidents and injuries. Your first aid kit should be locked and kept in a cool, dry place out of the reach of children. It may also be useful to keep a basic first aid manual or instruction booklet with your first aid kit. Medicines should be checked regularly to make sure they’re within their use-by dates. Many people also keep a small first aid kit in their car for emergencies. A basic first aid kit may contain:
• plasters in a variety of different sizes and shapes
• small, medium and large sterile gauze dressings
• at least 2 sterile eye dressings
• triangular bandages
• crêpe rolled bandages
• safety pins
• disposable sterile gloves
• tweezers
• scissors
• alcohol-free cleansing wipes
• sticky tape
• thermometer (preferably digital)
• skin rash cream, such as hydrocortisone or calendula
• cream or spray to relieve insect bites and stings
• antiseptic cream
• painkillers such as paracetamol (or infant paracetamol for children), aspirin (not to be given to children under 16), or ibuprofen
•cough medicine
•antihistamine cream or tablets
•distilled water for cleaning wounds
•eye wash and eye bath
Self care for minor ailments
Some common conditions that people seek GP appointments for will get better within a short time or can be treated with over-the-counter medicines from a pharmacy. For a wide range of minor ailments, your local pharmacist should be your first point-of-call
because:
- You don’t need an appointment
- There are no waiting times
- You will see a clinician with expertise in minor ailments and their treatment
- You can have privacy if you would like it
- You can leave with appropriate treatment or therapy and guidance on how to use it.
Pharmacies across Lincolnshire can offer people self care advice around how they can treat their conditions using over-the-counter medicines.
This is in line with NHS England guidance and follows a national consultation. The consultation showed that 81% of respondents thought there should not be prescriptions issued for self-limiting conditions, and 72% thought they should not be issued if an over-the-counter remedy was easily available.