WINTER ADVICE 2025

Posted on December 11th, 2025

DECEMBER 2025 – WINTER PREPARATION

As we prepare for our busiest time of the year, we hope you will join with us to work together to use resources appropriately and make sure we can be here for you when you need us.

WINTER VACCINES:

NHS Highland should by now have contacted all patients at risk and either offered an appointment date and time or provided instructions to book online through the online portal.

We are concerned that the uptake of all vaccinations remains lower than previous years. Please make getting your vaccines a priority and if you need help getting an appointment, please phone 0800 030 8013.

Keep your bugs to yourself!

COVID, influenza and the winter vomiting bug (norovirus) are infectious diseases. Please take care to avoid spreading infection – the very young, the elderly, the immunosuppressed and pregnant women are particularly at risk from these illnesses. Norovirus remains highly infectious until 48 hours after symptoms settle- STAY AT HOME.

Repeat medication. Make sure you have a supply of your regular medication to avoid last minute requests for scripts from the emergency doctor and only order the medicines you need. Remember the local pharmacist can provide an emergency supply of your regular medication if you should run out unexpectedly.

SEEKING ADVICE ON SYMPTOMS

Please don’t worry – your GP will be there for you if you need them.

But there are several options you could try first to see if you need a GP appointment.

Online advice from NHS Inform

If you have access to the internet this is an incredibly useful resource, particularly for common winter illnesses. There is a section with an A-Z of symptoms and comprehensive “Self Help” guides giving you advice on what to do next, with advice on how your local pharmacy might be able to help, and when you should get medical advice.

PHARMACY FIRST

Pharmacies can advise on self-care and over the counter medication for a variety of minor illnesses and ailments. Prescription only medication may be provided through the “Pharmacy First’ service. Examples of ailments include travel sickness, warts, minor skin conditions, acne, athlete’s foot, styes and minor eye infections, head lice, threadworms, pain including back pain, migraine, cold sores, diarrhoea and constipation, colic, thrush, cystitis and emergency contraception.

Winter Illnesses and requests for antibiotics “just in case”.

As a practice we are committed to “Antibiotic Guardianship”. Overuse of antibiotics is now in the “Top 10” of Global Threats to Human Health. Up to 20% of prescriptions for Respiratory Tract Infections in NHS Scotland were considered inappropriate last year – particularly those antibiotics being prescribed for simple coughs and uncomplicated sore throats.

A viral middle ear infection will usually improve within a week without antibiotics. The common cold typically lasts 2 weeks, and sinusitis (usually caused by a virus) will last quite often up to 2-3 weeks before clearing. Antibiotics won’t “speed up” how quickly you get better, but will cause tummy upsets and rashes, and increase the chances of an antibiotic-resistant infection in future.

We need antibiotics to treat our most vulnerable patients – those with chronic medical conditions, and those who are older or frailer. We need antibiotics to work when needed in life threatening illnesses such as sepsis.

Please respect your clinician if antibiotics are not considered necessary.

Dental Hotline

All dental emergencies should be dealt with by a dentist – if you don’t have a dentist, please contact the local helpline to access the emergency dental services (0800 141 2362 NHS Highland, 0345 4565 990 NHS Grampian)

Eye Emergencies

Eye problems (including emergencies) should now be assessed by a community optometrist (optician) first. They have the skills and tools to assess and advise, and if necessary, will refer you on to the eye clinic at the hospital for further investigations if needed.

Muscle or joint problem?

If you have a new muscular, back or joint injury and would like prompt advice on how to manage it, please consider trialling the “PHIO” Engage app which can now be downloaded free by NHS patients. You will be given access to a personalised plan to self-manage your injury.  You can also phone reception to request an appointment with our “First Contact Physiotherapist”. This 30-minute appointment will provide an assessment and advice from an experienced physiotherapist who will diagnose and advise on the correct exercise programme or refer you on for further investigation and treatment if necessary.

Health Centre Reception team “Signposting”.

All our reception staff have been trained in ‘signposting’. Our receptionist will need to ask about your condition to ensure you get seen by the right person. There are many ‘open access’ services available to patients now, and you don’t always need to see a GP first – so we may be able to help you get seen quicker by arranging an appointment with another member of the team.

Our receptionists might advise an appointment with a member of the nursing team, one of our experienced Advanced Nurse Practitioners, the optician, our first contact physiotherapist, the podiatry service, or a pharmacist instead.

E-Consult:

If you just need advice, and your problem is non urgent, and you have access to the internet, we encourage you to try our eConsult service (the link is on our website). The link takes you through an online questionnaire asking the most important questions relevant to your symptoms and sends a summary to the clinical team with your request. By the end of the next working day, you will have a reply – it may be advice, it may be a prescription, or it may instruct you to contact the practice. We would recommend this as being one of the most helpful and time efficient ways of requesting non urgent advice.

Helping us best manage the demand on services at busy times

Please phone before 10:30am if you feel your problem is urgent and you think you need seen that day.

Home visit requests must be phoned in before 10 am.

Best wishes, The team at Grantown Medical Practice