Who is the most appropriate professional for your care?
Please consider what the best options for your healthcare are, based on the urgency of your condition and nature of your ailment. General Practice work in conjunction with other Primary Care providers such as Opticians and Pharmacists, who can deliver advice and treatment within the Community, so make sure you get to see the right person, at the right time, in the right place.
This may save you time in getting the help you need, and avoid arranging an unnecessary appointment with your Doctor.
Have you tried self-care?
A range of common illnesses such as cold and flu and minor injuries can be treated at home simply by combining a well-stocked medicine cabinet with plenty of rest.
Examples of the ailments best treated by yourself are:
- Upset stomach
- Grazed knee
- Common cold
- Sore throat
- Headache
- Colds & Flu
There are a wide variety of helpful Self Care information and resources available which could help you to treat your illness without the need for an appointment:
Information leaflets
How often have you seen a leaflet during your hospital visit and wished that you had picked up a copy when you got home? Now you can download (right click) and print off our leaflets anytime.
Get immediate help from your local Pharmacy
Visit a Pharmacy for healthcare advice without an appointment
It is estimated that every year, 50 million visits to the GP are made for minor ailments such as coughs and colds, mild eczema, and athlete’s foot. By visiting your pharmacy instead, you could save yourself time and trouble.
Your local Pharmacist is able to help with minor cuts, sprains, aches and pains, colds and flu, headaches, rashes, cystitis, emergency contraceptive (most Pharmacies now offer this service) and other common conditions.
No appointment is necessary and your local Pharmacist is usually open late, is available at weekends and many public holidays. It will also save you making an appointment with your GP.
New Medicine Service
The New Medicine Service is available at Pharmacies to give you extra help and advice if you’re just starting on a new medicine for one of the following conditions:
- asthma
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- type 2 diabetes
- high blood pressure
- people who have been given a new blood-thinning medicine
More about the New Medicine Service.
Treat Yourself Better
We support the campaign to encourage people to self-treat minor ailments such as colds and flu. The Treat Yourself Better Without Antibiotics website is full of information to help people understand when how long they can expect their symptoms to last for, when they need to see a doctor and when they would be better off visiting their local pharmacist for advice.
Eye Problems?
Whatever your eye problem your first port of call should be an optometrist. An optometrist is the best person to assess urgent eye problems, check for eye disorders and treat eye conditions. They have the professional training and necessary equipment to assess most eye problems.
If your optician is closed and you can’t wait until it reopens call 111
If you sustain an eye injury that requires immediate emergency treatment go to your nearest Accident and Emergency.
Dental Emergency?
For dental emergencies, call the dentist with whom you are registered. You should receive a recorded message advising you of the arrangements that have been made for emergency cover. If you have not registered with a dentist, please try to do so as soon as possible. Dentist’s can perform an appropriate assessment and advise on necessary intervention including use of any antibiotics.
If you require emergency treatment, you should contact NHS 111
Dental emergencies are: acute dental pain, facial or oral swelling, bleeding from the mouth or trauma.
Podiatry: Self-refer
The podiatry service is available to people of all ages who have problems with their feet or lower limbs. The service is able to assess, diagnose and manage foot and leg problems to reduce pain, help prevent deterioration of chronic conditions and increase mobility. However, we do not provide a basic nail cutting service.
I want to self-refer
If you want to self-refer its easy, just download the form shown below, then return this to:
Podiatry Office
Brookside Centre
Station Way East
Aylesbury
Bucks HP20 2SR
You can also email the form to The Podiatry Office
(You will need to scan then send the completed form).
Your first appointment will be arranged at the clinic nearest to your home unless you require specialist treatment when it will probably be made at one of the hospital sites.
Podiatry – contact details
There is one administrative office which deals with all enquiries and appointments. This is situated at the Brookside clinic, Aylesbury and is open 8:30am to 5:00pm every weekday.
Please call 01296 566459 (an answer phone is available to leave messages that are picked up every day so please speak clearly and leave a contact number for the return call).
Pregnant: Need advice? Worried? or want to Self-Refer?
When you find out you are pregnant it is an exciting and life changing time. The maternity team at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust are committed to helping all women and their families to have a happy and healthy pregnancy and a safe birth of their baby.
- If you live within Buckinghamshire you can contact your community midwife directly, either via your GP surgery or by calling one of the community midwives offices:
Aylesbury community midwives: 01296 316120
Wycombe community midwives: 01494 425172 - If you do not live within Buckinghamshire and you wish to have your baby with us, please call our antenatal clinic team on 01296 316227 to arrange an appointment.
- GP referral: If you prefer, you can see your GP, who can make a referral
We have also provided further information about Pregnancy within our
If heavily bleeding please attend your nearest Accident and Emergency Department.
bSHaW – Sexual Health Services
bSHaW Sexual Health Clinics in Buckinghamshire
bSHaW sexual health clinics in Buckinghamshire offer both appointment and drop in services.
Sexual Health services that you can self-refer to for advice, help and treatment:
- Cervical Screening
- Chlamydia
- Contraception
- Emergency Contraception
- HIV
- Sexual Assault
- Sexual Difficulties
- Sexually Transmitted Infections
- Substance Misuse (Alcohol and Drugs)
Click on the clinic names below to find out more about the services they offer and clinic opening times.
Telephone : 0300 303 2880 to book an appointment.
Brookside – Aylesbury
Oakfield Surgery – Aylesbury
The Swan Practice – Buckingham
Burnham Health Centre
Chalfont & Gerrards Cross Hospital
Watermeadow Surgery – Chesham
SHAW – High Wycombe
Lynton House – High Wycombe
Youth Enquiry Service (YES) – High Wycombe
Mental Health Services
Buckinghamshire CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health service)
Bucks CAMHS are specialist mental health services for children and young people provided by the NHS.
Young people can self-refer themselves from age 14 and the service is more than happy to take referrals from parents, teachers, health professionals, social workers or youth workers.
Referrals can be made in 2 ways:
- Calling the SPA telephone line 01865 901951, 8am-6pm Monday-Fridays or
- An e-referral which is available on the recently updated CAMHS website.
If a parent or teacher would just like advice about a young person, but are not sure that they need a referral, they can call the SPA telephone line to discuss their concerns.
Need urgent help?
If it’s an emergency, phone 999. This is if your child’s life or the life of another child or young person is at immediate risk.
If it’s not a 999 emergency, you can dial 111 if you need help fast.
Other Services
Our website has lots of useful links to other organisation who can also offer help and support.
Do you need Social Care & Support?
If you or someone you know needs help with day-to-day living because of illness or disability, this website explains your options and where you can get support.
Improved access to GP Appointments
Wycombe Improved Access Service
Local GPs are working together to offer patients better access to appointments in General Practice in Buckinghamshire, known as the ‘Improved Access’ Service. This means that you maybe offered an appointment (face to face or on the phone) in a practice local to you:
- Up until 8pm from Monday to Friday
- On a Saturday (your practice can confirm which practices are open, and their opening hours on this day)
- From 9am until 1pm on Sunday (at one of the three FedBucks Improved Access Hubs located across the county.
Need to speak with someone when the surgery is closed?
Call 111
Call 111 when we are closed to speak to an NHS professional on any urgent health or medical issue.
Calls are free from landlines and mobiles.
Out of Hours – further information
Our Buckinghamshire GP Out of Hours service does not offer “walk in” appointments and access to the service is made via the national NHS 111 call line.
In Buckinghamshire, this service is provided by the South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) from their bases in Bicester and Hampshire.
Urgent Care Centre
Urgent treatment centres are a facility you can go to if you need urgent medical attention, but it’s not a life-threatening situation.
At the moment, the NHS offers a mix of walk-in centres, urgent care centres, minor injury units and urgent treatment centres, all with different levels of service.
If you have an emergency please call 999
Medical emergencies can include:
- loss of consciousness
- an acute confused state
- fits that aren’t stopping
- chest pain
- breathing difficulties
- severe bleeding that can’t be stopped
- severe allergic reactions
- severe burns or scalds
It’s important to use A&E only for serious injuries and major emergencies.
Get immediate help for minor injuries
Use your local minor injuries unit if you need medical treatment or advice which does not need a visit to A&E or a medical appointment.
Some examples of problems they deal with:
- sprains and strains
- suspected broken limbs
- minor head injuries
- cuts and grazes
- bites and stings
- minor scalds and burns
- ear and throat infections
- skin infections and rashes
- eye problems
- coughs and colds
- feverish illness in adults
- feverish illness in children
- abdominal pain
- vomiting and diarrhoea
- emergency contraception
Arrange an appointment with one of our Nursing team
The Nurse Practitioner is usually able to assess the situation and in some cases will organise initial blood tests and other investigations prior to arranging a follow up appointment with your doctor.
The nurse practitioners complement the service that we offer to you, our patients. Please be assured that a doctor’s appointment will always be available should you prefer but you may get an earlier appointment if you opt to consult the nurse practitioners.
See the Nurse about: blood pressure checks, back pain, chest infection, and cold, rash, sore throat, urine infection, cervical smears, dressings, family planning advice, contraceptives, minor injuries and ailments, immunisations, diabetes management, asthma care, COPD (heart) care, smoking cessation, free health checks for 40-70 year olds, travel advice, removal of stitches and clips etc.
Please note the Healthcare Assistants can also undertake: Blood pressures checks, blood tests, diabetic foot checks and general health checks.
Call the surgery on 01296 337546 to arrange an appointment with a nurse and you may be seen more quickly.
Need medical advice or treatment from one of our doctors?
Some patients, often those with complex and long-standing medical problems, may need an appointment with a doctor.
Call the surgery on 01296 337546 to arrange an appointment with a doctor