See a Doctor or Healthcare Professional

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. Many patients attend with conditions that would get better with self-care. Studies show that 25-40% of consultations with a GP are unnecessary so it would help if patients only booked an appointment with a GP if they really need to.

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:

Self Care Forum

The Self Care Forum is a charity which aims to further the reach of self care and embed it into everyday life.  Self Care is the actions that individuals take for themselves, on behalf of and with others in order to develop, protect, maintain and improve their health, wellbeing or wellness.

We have provided our patients with a list of services that you can self-refer to without the need to see a GP or Nurse. You can normally self-refer by phone, attend a drop in clinic or by completing a self-referral form which you can send via email or post to the service of your choice.

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.

Over the Counter Medicines

A GP, nurse or pharmacist will generally not give you a prescription for over-the-counter (OTC) medicines for a range of minor health conditions.

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. 

MECS – Minor Eye Conditions Service

The Minor Eye Conditions Service (MECS) provides assessment and treatment for people with recently occurring minor eye conditions.

The service is provided by MECS accredited optometrists. 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.

Who is the service for? It is for people of all ages registered with a HMR GP – adults and children. Children under 16 years must be accompanied at their appointment by an adult.

How do I access the MECS? For more information, please visit https://www.hmr.nhs.uk/minor-eye-conditions-service-mecs-news/

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.

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.

Your GP will not be able to prescribe antibiotics for the treatment of dental problems, as they are neither trained, nor indemnified in this area.

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.

Rochdale Social Care

If you or someone you know needs help with day-to-day living because of illness or disability, Rochdale Stay Well will provide you with information and advice on the type of services that Adult Care has to offer locally and how best to access them.

Further information can be obtained by clicking on the link below.

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

Mental Health Crisis?

You should call 999 or go to A&E if you, or someone you know, experiences a life-threatening medical or mental health emergency. These are cases where there is immediate danger to life or physical injury. A mental health emergency should be taken as seriously as a medical emergency. If you feel like you may be close to acting on suicidal thoughts or have seriously harmed yourself, you should call 999 or go to A&E directly if you need immediate help and are worried about your safety.

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.

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.

It’s important to use A&E only for serious injuries and major emergencies.

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

Clinical Care Co-ordinator

Cheryl has this role and is fully trained to assist in the management of Healthcare. This currently includes the same as the Health Care Assistants but Cheryl is also trained in Spirometry and Feno testing.

Health Care Assistant

Joanne and Christine, our Health Care Assistants have been fully trained in phlebotomy and blood pressure monitoring and have completed their training to assist in the management of health care. This currently includes the following:

• Bloods
• Health Advice
• Blood Pressures
• 24-hour Blood Pressures
• ECG
• 24 hour loop / event recorders
• Flu vaccinations
• Pneumonia vaccinations
• Shingles vaccinations
• Vitamin B12 injections
• LTC (Long Term Condition) reviews (Excluding Asthma and New diagnosed diabetes)

Phlebotomist

Vicki, Megan and Jenny are our trained phlebotomist and are able take blood samples from patients.

To book an appointment please contact reception by calling 01706346767 or request this through Patch’s our online platform.

Clinical complaints to see our Practice Nurses about:

• Asthma management
• Cancer Care Reviews
• COPD management
• Diabetes management
• ABPI
• Immunisations
• Hormone Injections (when prescribed only)
• Travel advice
• Cervical smears
• Family planning advice including Contraception
• Removal of stitches / clips (if the minor surgery has been done in our minor surgery clinic)
• Covid/Flu Vaccinations

Our Nurses are usually able to assess the situation and in some cases, where necessary, will organise initial blood tests and other investigations prior to arranging a follow up appointment with your doctor.

To book an appointment please contact Reception by calling 01706346767, or through Patch’s our online platform.

Advanced Nurse Practitioners are nurses who specialise in diagnosing and treating minor ailments. They work alongside GPs to offer an alternative point of GP contact for patients. This enables GPs to have more time to deal with patients who have complicated medical conditions.

Advanced Nurse Practitioners are highly trained to carry out this role and are able to recognise more serious conditions as well as minor ones. Nevertheless, a GP is always on hand to advise the nurse practitioner if needed. Kaye, our Advanced Nurse Practitioner, has also been fully trained to prescribe medication.

Kaye can see a wide range of conditions, some examples of which are:-

• Skin problems – eg eczema, acne and rashes
• Contraception and female health
• Infections – ear, throat, urinary, chest and eyes
• Coughs/colds
• Muscular injuries – eg back, neck

Many of these problems come on quickly and the nurse practitioner’s appointments are more readily available. We hope this enables patients to be seen more quickly. If you are unsure if your illness should be seen by the nurse practitioner or GP, the reception staff are often able to clarify which would be best, so just ask.

Community Nurse Practitioner

Nicky is our Community Nurse Practitioner who manages all nursing home and housebound patients. Nicky is fully medically trained and a Prescriber. Nicky also helps manage our dementia and Learning Disability patients.

Ashworth Street Surgery is proud to be a training practice, meaning that alongside our GP Partners & Salaried GPs, we have Foundation Doctors completing their GP rotation, as well as GP trainees at different stages of their training. All of our trainees are qualified Doctors, but they have supervision from a GP to ensure that they have support at all times.

If you require an appointment with a GP, there are multiple ways to book. Please click below to find out more.