Selfcare for Minor Illness

You can manage many common medical problems yourself safely and sensibly. This saves you the time and bother of trying to make an appointment to see a doctor. Of course if you are worried you have a serious illness you should come to see us. You can also get good advice by speaking to your local pharmacist, where many straightforward remedies are available.

You can click on any of the links below for fact sheets on how to manage some of these common conditions.

cough

sore throat

sinusitis

common cold

fever in children

sore ear in children

back pain

headache

heartburn

constipation

sprains and strains

acne

eczema

How long do illnesses take to settle? 

Some people are surprised how long some simple infections take to settle…

sore throat  –  1 week

common cold  –  10 days

sinusitis  –  2–3 weeks

cough  –  3weeks

Taking an antibiotic is useless for these conditions in most healthy children and adults, and makes no difference at all as to how quickly they take to settle.

 
Click here for information about antibiotics from Northern Ireland Public Health Agency

Minor Ailments Scheme and Health Information

The NHS in Northern Ireland also runs a ‘minor ailments scheme’ through your local pharmacist. You can simply call in to any pharmacy and talk to the pharmacist to get treatment for free for a number of common conditions

diarrhoea

cold sores

ear wax

mouth ulcers

oral thrush

head lice

threadworms

oral thrush

vaginal thrush

This may save you the bother of having to get a GP prescription, or wait for a doctor’s appointment.

There are several useful sites for Health Information:

Click on the links below

http://www.patient.co.uk                   

gives independent and accurate information on a vast range of medical topics

http://www.helpguide.org                       

excellent site for all issues related to mental health

http://www.parentingni.org                    

local site for parents with advice and support line for all issues related to children and teenagers (especially behaviour problems)

http://www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk       

useful site regarding foreign travel including advice on whether you need immunizations and malaria prevention tablets

http://www.publichealth.hscni.net/publications/antibiotics-information-general-public                                            

information about antibiotics from Northern Ireland Public Health Agency