Accessing health care over the holidays!

There are a number of ways to access health care in the UK during the vacation:

  1. If you are in or visiting Bristol, you can access care as usual from the Students’ Health Service.
  2. If you want advice about an ongoing issue for which we have seen you, please make a telephone appointment with a GP. Not all medical concerns can be resolved in this way.
  3. THINK AHEAD- if you are running low on a regular medication,  please send repeat prescription  requests by post, with a stamped addressed envelope.  There will be cases when this is not appropriate, e.g. you need up-to-date blood pressure or blood tests.

This useful link gives further advice,

http://www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/1011.aspx

 

  1. If you are away from Bristol and need medical care you can contact a local GP and sign on as a ‘temporary resident’. We advise our students not to sign on as a ‘permanent patient’ if they are returning to Bristol as a student after the vacation, as this causes problems with transfer of medical notes.  Please follow this link for information regarding accessing healthcare in this way

http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/how-can-i-see-a-gp-if-im-away-from-home.aspx?CategoryID=68&SubCategoryID=158

 

  1. Remember that other clinics may meet your needs e.g. local family planning service, STI clinic or minor injury services. Details of these can be found on the link above.

 

  1. Remember that ‘A+E/999 calls’ are for medical emergencies.  If your local GP is closed and you want medical advice for a problem that cannot wait until the surgery re-opens (but is not an emergency), please call 111 to get advice (as you would normally do in Bristol).