Choose Well
Choose well. It doesn’t have to be A&E
By choosing well you’ll get the right treatment, at the right time, and help busy NHS services care for people who really need them.
The Choose Well campaign was launched by NHS Trusts across West Yorkshire in 2009. The campaign aims to steer patients to the right service, especially over the winter months.
You may see the Choose Well messages in TV adverts, newspapers and magazines across Kirklees over the next few months. These will tell you all the options available to you if you feel unwell.
Choose Well App for Apple
The NHS Yorkshire and the Humber Choose Well application provides all the information you need when making your decision. Routine, urgent and emergency health care is available across Yorkshire and the Humber region 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The application features details of each and every health service - including contact information, GPS location and more - all at the touch of a button.
The applications can be accessed at http://itunes.apple.com/app/nhs-yorkshire-and-humberside/id417712580?mt=8
Choose Well App for Android
Scan the QR code below into your phone
For most minor illnesses, such as colds, coughs and diarrhoea, the following options are available to you:
- NHS 111
- Self care
- Pharmacist (chemist)
- GP (doctor)
For more serious illnesses and complaints, the following services should be considered:
- NHS walk-in centre
- West Yorkshire Urgent Care Service
- Accident and Emergency (A&E)
NHS 111
NHS 111 is available by telephone simply by dialing 111, 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week. Calls are free from landlines and mobile phones.
111 lines are staffed by fully trained advisers, supported by experienced nurses. They will ask about your symptoms before directing you to the best local healthcare service to help you.
You should use the NHS 111 service if you urgently need medical help or advice but it's not a life-threatening situation.
Call 111 if:
- You need medical help fast but it's not a 999 emergency.
- You think you need to go to A&E or need another NHS urgent care service.
- You don't know who to call or you don't have a GP to call.
- You need health information or reassurance about what to do next.
For less urgent health care needs, try one of the following:
Self care
Do you have a hangover? Perhaps a grazed knee? Or maybe a sore throat? These are the types of health-related problems you can manage yourself at home.
A well-stocked medicine cabinet and plenty of rest can help you take care of very minor ailments, staying at home and using 'self care' is the best option when treating very minor ailments.
Self care is one option, but isn’t always the best option. Visit the Choose Well website to see the ways you can access other healthcare services.
Pharmacists (chemists)
Your pharmacist is qualified to give health advice and suggest remedies, without an appointment, for a whole range of illnesses.
For example, if you suffer from minor ailments such as coughs, colds, headaches, sickness and diarrhoea, indigestion or heartburn, a pharmacy should be the first place you visit.
Many common illnesses and minor ailments can easily be treated at home with a well-stocked cabinet.
There are 92 pharmacies across Kirklees and you can find one in your area by using the NHS Choices directory.
GPs (doctors)
Your local GP or health centre provides a wide-range of health services, including medical advice and treatment, prescriptions, jabs, stop-smoking and referral to specialists.
For most people, your GP is the first point of contact with the NHS. They look after your everyday health needs and, where appropriate, they can refer you to see other health professionals, such as specialists at a hospital or clinic.
There are 72 general practices across the Kirklees district and you can find one in your area using the NHS Choices website.
To register with a GP, telephone or drop into your local practice. Each practice serves a particular area so you will need to check you fall within those boundaries – the practice will be able to tell you this.
The out of hours GP service is available whenever your general practice or health centre is closed. You should call your normal surgery number and an answer-phone message will tell you how to contact the out of hours GP service.
Walk-in centres
NHS walk-in centres offer fast and convenient healthcare advice and treatment for minor injuries and illnesses such as sprains, insect bites, burns, colds and infections.
They don’t replace your local GP or hospital services, but complement existing local services.
Your local walk-in centre in Kirklees can be found at:
Dewsbury and District Hospital
Halifax Road
Dewsbury
WF13 4HS
There is no need to book an appointment. It provides a wide range of services including:
• flu jabs
• minor surgery
• blood tests
• help and advice to stop smoking
Opening times: Monday to Friday 9am-6.30pm
Bank Holidays 9am-4pm
GP-led Health Centre:
School House Practice
Dewsbury Health Centre
Wellington Road
Dewsbury
WF13 1HN
Opening times for patients who are not registered: Monday - Friday 12pm - 8pm. Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays 8am-8pm.
For registered patients: 8am - 8pm every day.
Accident and Emergency (A&E)
There are accident and emergency departments at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and Dewsbury and District Hospital.
They are open 24-hours-a-day, every day, for critical and life-threatening illnesses and injuries such as heart attacks, strokes, severe allergic reactions and fractures.
You should only visit A&E in the case of real emergencies. Going straight to A&E can put the emergency services and hospitals under added pressure. Unnecessary use of the service could prevent someone whose condition is more serious from getting immediate treatment.
