Your local NHS is here to help you stay well during the festive period and there are lots of thing you can do help yourself.
- Prepare for the bank holidays by ensuring you have ordered and collected your repeat prescriptions
- Get vaccinated – if you are eligible, there is still time to get your flu and COVID vaccinations
- Wash your hands often - washing your hands is one of the easiest ways to protect yourself and others from illnesses such as food poisoning and viruses such as flu and Covid-19.
- Keep warm and well – information on warm spaces across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight can be found here: Warm Welcome
- Keep a well-stocked medicine cabinet - be prepared for common illnesses and injuries by keeping your medicine cabinet stocked with these items all year round.
- Get to the right health care, at the right time - please use services wisely to make sure you can get the most appropriate support and help us to help you.
If you or a friend or family member become unwell over the festive period, there are a number of services that are available and are here to help. These include:
- NHS 111 online – this is a great place to start if you require advice and you will be directed to the right service
- Parents and young people can find a wealth of winter health advice on many common conditions on the Healthier Together website.
- Urgent Treatment Centres can help with injuries and illnesses that need urgent medical attention but aren’t life threatening. Waiting times can also be shorter than at Emergency Departments. We have Urgent Treatment Centres in Andover, Gosport, Lymington, Petersfield, Portsmouth, Southampton and on the Isle of Wight. Please check your local service for opening times or see our website.
Many of our pharmacies will be open to continue to offer services and health advice. The Pharmacy First scheme also ensures that pharmacies can offer treatment and medication if needed.
You can find the times that your local pharmacy will be open during the bank holidays (Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day) here:
- Hampshire (Including Portsmouth and Southampton)
- Isle of Wight
Further information about the Pharmacy First scheme in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight can be found here: Treatment straight from your pharmacy
Our Emergency Departments (EDs) at hospitals are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week for life and limb threatening conditions. If you or someone you know is experiencing a medical emergency you should call 999 or visit the nearest Emergency Department.
Mental health is just as important as physical health and many services will remain open 24/7 to provide advice and support. These include:
- NHS 111 mental health triage - the NHS 111 mental health triage team provides mental health support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to people of all ages across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
- Shout text service – anyone in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight can text 'HANTS' to 85258 to speak by text with one of Shout's trained volunteers. Shout is a free, confidential, 24/7 text messaging support service for anyone who is struggling to cope. It won’t show up on your phone bill.
- Kooth - an online counselling and emotional well-being support service providing young people aged 11-25 years (up to their 26th birthday) with a safe and secure means of accessing support with their emotional health and wellbeing needs from a professional team of qualified counsellors.
- Safe Havens - there are several Safe Havens across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight which provide emotional and practical support to adults experiencing a mental health crisis. You can get support from staff and volunteers by telephone, email, text or face to face during evenings, weekends and bank holiday
- NHS Talking Therapies (previously iTalk) - a service for adults in Hampshire and IOW that offers a wide range of treatments, in a wide range of formats.
Dr Lara Alloway, Chief Medical Officer at NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight said: “We are here to help you if you need us over the holidays and New Year period and no one should delay asking for help or advice.
“Our pharmacists provide expert advice about over-the-counter medicines to treat common health conditions - as well as advice on medication and a range of other services. They are also trained to advise you whether you need to see a GP, nurse or other healthcare professional and can also provide health and wellbeing advice.”
“Mental health is just as important as physical health and there’s a range of services available to support you if you’re struggling over the holidays – you can call 111 to speak to a trained mental health professional or anyone in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight can text 'HANTS' to 85258 to speak by text with one of Shout's trained volunteers.”
“I would also like to say a massive thank you to all the staff who are working over the Christmas and New Year period to provide health care to our local residents.”