NHS 24 guide to surviving the festive season
It may be the season to be jolly, but it’s also the time of year when coughs, colds and tummy bugs are more prevalent. Here, NHS 24 call handler Diane Rock offers advice about where to turn for help in your hour of need
As
a call handler, I’m the first point of contact for those who dial 111 for the NHS 24 out-of-hours service.
Over the festive period we get a lot of calls from people suffering from a cold – a common ailment at this time of year – and usually we would point them towards the online self-care service, nhsinform. scot, where they can use a symptom checker to find out how best to treat themselves.
Sometimes, a patient might say they have a cold but, after asking a few questions, we find out their symptoms are more serious and they may need to see a GP.
A lot of people phone for advice and aren’t aware that they can actually talk to their local pharmacist about their symptoms and how to care for themselves at home.
Usually with coughs and colds, that’s about taking paracetamol, drinking plenty of water and resting.
Quite a lot of the calls over Christmas and New Year are from people who have not remembered to collect their repeat prescription from the pharmacist before the holiday period.
We also get calls from people who haven’t got any over-thecounter medications such as paracetamol and ibuprofen at home, so these are important things to make sure you have as well as antihistamines because we have a lot of calls about rashes.
Often people who call us are looking for reassurance. As a first port of call for understanding symptoms and how to treat them you should look at our self-help guide online at nhsinform.scot.
When people are able to source self-care advice online or from their pharmacist, it means services like ours can be available for those who are in need of more urgent care, especially over Christmas and New Year when GP surgeries have different opening hours and it is such a busy period.
Of course it’s natural for parents to worry when their children are unwell, and we do get calls from mums and dads in a panic. A pharmacist can look at a rash, but they can also advise on sore ears and throats, coughs and other minor ailments so they are always a good first port of call unless symptoms are serious, recurring or aren’t responding to treatment.
The good news is, most of the more common illnesses in winter will get better themselves and can be treated with over-the-counter medicines at home. Below are some of the more typical ailments and what to do if you experience symptoms.