Who Do you Need and Appointment with?

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 ailments best treated yourself:

• Upset stomach
• Grazed knee
• Common cold
• Sore throat
• Headache
• Colds & Flu

There is a wide variety of helpful Self Care information and resources which could help you to treat your illness without the need for an appointment:

Who do I see?

Provides you with information and supporting links for treatments for some of the most common conditions, services, or most suitable healthcare professional that you should see. ‘Who do I see?’, will signpost you to the most appropriate help and care.

Podiatry

Our podiatry service treats patients with ongoing foot problems, as well as promoting self-care. Services are available both in the community and at our three hospital sites. Ask for a self-referral podiatry form at the community desk in the Health Centre or if you prefer click on the link below. Podiatry services DO NOT provide nail cutting.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy is a non-emergency help service for advice, information and assessment of muscle and joint problems and is provided at various locations including Hairmyres, Monklands and Wishaw General.

Contact 0800 917 9390 to self – refer, between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday.

NHS Lanarkshire Sexual Health & Well Being Clinic

• Pill/Coil/Implants/Injection
• Advice/Insertion/Removal
• Sexual Transmitted Infection

To make an appointment at one of our clinics, call our appointment line: 0300 303 0251 (lines open Monday to Friday 9am to 4.45pm). 
Textphone (for deaf/hard of hearing): 07826 874190 

For a limited number of clinics, online booking is now available – see: Online booking system

Community Mental Health Team – Rutherglen/Cambuslang

The service is available to individuals/families between the ages of 16-65 years with severe and enduring mental health problems and complex needs who reside in the South Lanarkshire area. The team consists of Social Work staff, community psychiatric nurses, occupational therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists.

Telephone 0141 531 4117

NHS Lanarkshire Alcohol & Drugs Support

• Alcohol & Drug – Addiction/Advice

Telephone 0141 646 3191 to self- refer

Health Visitors (HV)

• Infant feeding
• Nappy rash
• Constipation
• Potty Training
• Weaning
• Behavioural Concerns

Telephone 0141 531 6048 or 0141 531 6049 to self – refer

Midwife

• If you are pregnant

Telephone 0141 531 4180 or 0141 531 4183 to self – refer

Health Improvement

• Smoking cessation – Thursday 6:00pm Rutherglen Health Centre – drop in
• Weight management – Weigh to Go

Telephone Weigh to Go on 0141 641 9500 to self – refer

Further information on Health Promotion please phone 0141 641 2085

Pregnancy and baby

Am I pregnant? What should I be eating? Is it normal to be this tired? How can I help my partner during labour? Whatever you want to know about getting pregnant, being pregnant or caring for your new baby, you should find it here. Pregnancy Advice.

Early Pregnancy Assessment Service (EPAS)

If you are pregnant and wish to continue the pregnancy please contact the Maternity services on: 0141 347 8422.

Midwife

You can also call 0141 531 4180 or 0141 531 4183 to self – refer.

If heavily bleeding please attend your nearest Accident and Emergency Department.

Visit a pharmacy for healthcare advice without an appointment

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.

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.

Everyone can go to their pharmacist for advice or to buy a medicine for a minor illness or ailment. This is a NHS service. It means that if your pharmacist thinks you need it then they can give you a medicine on the NHS. It will also save you making an appointment with your GP simply to get a prescription.

Pharmacy First

Pharmacy First allows patients to access FREE advice and /or treatment for

• uncomplicated Urinary Tract Infection in women 16 to 65 (symptoms burning or stinging sensation on passing urine, need to pass urine frequently)
• Impetigo

Further information about Pharmacy First

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. 

No appointment is necessary and your local pharmacist is open late, is available at weekends and many public holidays.

Rutherglen and Cambuslang CAB – Rutherglen Primary Care Centre Outreach 

Opening hours

Friday: 09.30 – 16.00

• Advice provided by our service is free, independent, confidential, impartial and available to everyone. 
• We look at the problems people bring to our advice services and campaign for change where it’s needed most.
• We work for a fairer Scotland where people are empowered and their rights respected.

Telephone 0141 646 3191 to self-refer

There are lots of services which offer help and support to improve your quality of life and allow you to continue to live in your own home. For example, if you are elderly or disabled, have a long-term health condition or are unwell. However, it can sometimes be confusing to try to work out what help is available and who offers what services.

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.

Advice and information is available by calling a Dental Advice Helpline.

However, if you are unregistered currently and you require emergency treatment, you should contact NHS 24 on 111.

Dental emergencies are acute dental pain, facial or oral swelling, trauma or bleeding from the mouth.

Community Optician

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.

Lanarkshire Eye Health Care Network Scheme (LENS) Optometrists offer an appointment and assessment service for any eye condition for which you would normally see your GP. 

Please visit NHS Lanarkshire or call the NHS Lanarkshire General Enquiry Line on 0300 300 243 Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm and Friday 9am to 4.30pm for further information on how to access the service.

Find a local Optician in your area (once you are linked to the NHS Inform page, select your local Health Board or local Authority to find an Optician near you).

Self-help guide: Eye problems

Find out more about your eye problems, when you can use self-care, and what to do if your condition worsens and you need medical help

If your optician is closed and you can’t wait until it reopens call NHS24 on 111.

If you sustain an eye injury that requires immediate emergency treatment go to your nearest Accident and Emergency.

Breathing Space was launched in 2002 to address serious concerns about the mental wellbeing of people in Scotland. The service became a national phoneline in 2004.

Breathing Space complements the work of other phone lines and agencies which are endeavouring to reduce suicide rates in Scotland.

Our advisors come from a range of mental health, counselling and social work backgrounds. There is an equal ratio of male to female advisors.

Need help now? Call free on 0800 83 85 87.

Community Mental Health Team – Rutherglen/Cambuslang

The service is available to individuals/families between the ages of 16-65 years with severe and enduring mental health problems and complex needs who reside in the South Lanarkshire area. The team consists of Social Work staff, community psychiatric nurses, occupational therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists.

Telephone 0141 531 4117

Call 111

NHS 111 is a free phone service which is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

It offers you a one-stop number if you have urgent, but not life-threatening, symptoms and want a fast and easy way to get help when you need it. 

You should call 111 if:

• it’s not a 999 emergency
• you think you need to go to A&E or another NHS urgent care service
• you don’t think it can wait for an appointment with your GP
• you don’t know who to call for medical help.

For less urgent health needs you should still contact your GP in the usual way. For immediate, life-threatening emergencies, continue to 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.

For everything else, Minor Injury Units, out-of-hours services and your local pharmacy can also help.

Use your local Minor Injuries Unit if you need medical treatment or advice which does not require 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

The Treatment Room Nurse offers the following services

• Ear syringing (please note that you can make an appointment directly with the treatment room for ear syringing)
• Blood samples 
• Dressings

Call the Community Desk on 0141 531 69084 to arrange an appointment with the Treatment Room Nurse.

The Health Care Assistant (HCA) offers the following services

• Blood Pressure Checks
• Blood Tests
• New Patient Medicals

Call the surgery on 0141 531 6030 to arrange an appointment with the Health Care Assistant (HCA)

The Practice Nurse offers the following services

• Long term Condition Reviews – Hypertension, Diabetes, Asthma
• Immunisations
• Injections
• Contraceptive Pill Checks (with the Practice Nurse)
• Emergency Contraception
• Cervical Smears

Call the surgery on 0141 531 6030 to arrange an appointment with the Practice Nurse.

The Advanced Nurse Practitioner can see all patients over the age of 8 years who have an acute, sudden onset, short duration and rapid change illnesses, and can prescribe all medications for your condition and is always happy to help. 

• ACUTE illness
• Sudden Onset/Short Duration/Rapid Change

Call the surgery on 0141 531 6030 to arrange an appointment with the Advanced Nurse Practitioner you maybe seen more quickly.

Some patients, often those with complex and long-standing medical problems, may need an appointment with a doctor.

• CHRONIC illness
• Pre-existing conditions already identified by the GP
• Non-urgent symptoms which are ongoing

Call the surgery on 0141 531 6030 to arrange an appointment with a doctor