Right care, right place, right now

This page provides advice for patients in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland about how to get the right care for their particular health concern, in the right place and as quickly as possible. People needing medical help are asked to choose wisely and take simple steps to help ensure care is available to patients who need it most.

If it's urgent

Use NHS 111 first

Use NHS 111 24/7 before using other services to help you get the right care as quickly as possible.

They can:

tell you where to get help for your symptoms
direct you to urgent care services, GPs, pharmacies, emergency dental services, or other more appropriate local services – and book you an appointment or provide an arrival time
direct you to where you can get emergency supplies of your prescribed medicines, and
provide general health information and advice.

Urgent care service

Many local urgent care services can be used without an appointment, but if you use NHS 111 you can book and appointment in advance if it’s the right place for you to go, and keep your waiting time down.

Urgent mental health problems

24/7 support is available over the phone. Call NHS 111, selecting option 2 for mental health.

This number is open 24 hours a day and is totally free and confidential.

You can also visit a Neighbourhood Mental Health cafe.

Minor ailments

You can look after many minor ailments yourself

Many minor ailments can be treated at home with no need for medical attention.

If you are generally in good health, there is no reason why you can’t look after minor illnesses yourself. In most cases the illness will get better by itself and so an appointment with your GP practice or another NHS services isn’t required.

You can get support to help you look after a minor ailment yourself, in three ways:

The NHS App is a simple and secure way for people to access a range of NHS services on their smartphone or tablet, including getting health advice. It is available to download on iOS and Android devices.
Visit 111.nhs.uk to find out where to get help for your specific symptoms or general health information and advice.
Your local pharmacy: Pharmacists are qualified health professionals and are the right people to see if you need advice or over-the-counter medicines.
Under the Pharmacy First scheme, many pharmacies can also now offer treatment and prescription medicine for some conditions, without you needing to see a GP.

GP practices

Standard GP practice opening hours are 8am to 6.30pm Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays.
Many practices also offer appointments on Saturdays and later in the evening on weekdays.
Please use 111.nhs.uk or call NHS 111 when your GP practice is closed.

Seek medical help if you need it

Even if the NHS is busy, it is really important that patients who need urgent medical care continue to come forward as normal, especially in emergency and life-threatening cases – when someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk.

Going away?

Order your prescriptions for any regular medication in good time, so you don’t run out when you are away. Do make sure you only request the items on your prescription that you need.
Make sure you take your medication with you.
If you are unwell when away from home in the UK, your first port of call should be your own GP practice. They will be able to provide online, phone and video consultations and arrange for prescriptions to be sent to any pharmacy you choose.
You can also use NHS 111 online for advice about getting the right care near to where you are.
Make sure you pack a basic first aid kit.