Knowing which service to turn to when you’re not well is important. Using services wisely can help you receive the best care without unnecessary delays.
Use the options below to learn more about the different services available.
Minor issues such as sore throats, cuts and grazes, headaches, coughs and colds, diarrhoea and sickness bugs can be treated at home.
The NHS website provides lots of advice on conditions, symptoms, treating illnesses and injuries as well as when to seek further support. Visit the health A – Z section at www.nhs.uk.
Keeping a well-stocked medicine cabinet with essential medicines such as painkillers, upset stomach relievers, antihistamines, plasters and bandages will help you be prepared to look after yourself and your loved ones if you do need to treat any injury or illness.
Common ailments can typically last for between one and three weeks – for example, a sore throat can last one week; a cold one-and-a-half weeks; and a cough three weeks. If you are unsure, or you have questions about what you can have at home to treat you and your family, visit your local pharmacist for free, effective advice and support.
For information on:
- Common childhood illnesses, symptoms and advice on what 'red-flag' signs to look out for
- Mental Health support and services
- Where to seek help if required
- Advice on whether your child to go to school or nursery and more;
Visit the Healthier Together websites:
- Healthier Together for those living in East Berkshire
- Healthier Together for those in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire or Berkshire West
Healthier Together is an NHS resource that provides clear, trustworthy advice for families, including guidance on common childhood illnesses, recognising “red flag” symptoms and knowing when to seek medical help and how to keep your child comfortable.
The resources available are used not only by parents but also by healthcare professionals. This means that your child is likely to receive consistently high-quality care, irrespective of which healthcare provider you take them to see. And their advice is likely to mirror that on the Healthier Together website.
For more information see our children’s health page.
You can find your nearest community pharmacy and check which services they offer, by using the NHS pharmacy finder
Community pharmacy teams offer a wide range of services, they can provide expert clinical advice for minor health concerns and help with many common illnesses, in some cases providing treatment (including some antibiotics) if required.
Most local pharmacies have a private consultation room where you can talk with the pharmacist confidentially.
Visit a local Pharmacy for:
- Help with minor health concerns and illnesses such as conjunctivitis, hay fever, sore throats, coughs, colds, tummy troubles and general aches and pains
- Advice about over-the-counter medications and healthy living support
- An NHS blood pressure check if you are aged over 40
- Contraceptive services
- Regular repeat prescriptions
- Advice when starting a new prescription for a long-term condition - New Medicine Service (NMS)
- Safe disposal of unwanted medicines or medicines that you no longer use
You can visit, or may be referred to, a local Pharmacy for advice and treatment on the following 7 conditions:
- Shingles - 18 years and over
- Sore throat - 5 years and over
- Infected insect bites - 1 year and over
- Earaches in children 1 to 17 years
- Sinusitis - 12 years and over
- Impetigo - 1 year and over
- Uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI) - women only aged 16 to 64 years
Please note that in some cases, those who are pregnant, breastfeeding, immunocompromised or who have recurring problems may not be eligible for treatment at a pharmacy.
Other services that may be available at your local pharmacy:
- Emergency and oral contraception
- Asthma inhaler use and advice
- Chlamydia screening and treatment
- Stop smoking service
- Substance misuse service, including needle and syringe exchange schemes
- Weight management service
- Flu and COVID-19 vaccinations
Speak to your local pharmacy team to better understand the services they provide and to read more about general pharmacy services visit the NHS.UK website
If you need urgent medical help right now, it is not a life-threatening emergency, but you are unsure of which service you need, contact NHS 111 online, in the NHS App or by calling 111. You will be directed to the best place to get help.
NHS 111 online and the App can help with:
- Health enquiries relating to people aged 5 and over
- Emergency supply of regularly prescribed medication (for any age)
- Dental Problems - help finding a dentist, or an emergency dentist if there is availability in your area.
Call 111 if:
- need help for a child under 5
- have complex problems caused by an existing medical condition
- have a care plan from your doctor for your current health problem
- need to get end-of-life care
111 cannot:
- issue fit notes – you need to contact your GP
- make or cancel appointments for you in other parts of the NHS
Dentists provide treatment to keep your mouth, teeth and gums healthy and free of pain.
A dentist will provide regular checks with recall intervals based on your clinical need and advice and treatment to look after your teeth and gums Your dentist can carry out treatment such as fillings or root canal treatment, if you need it. Regular attendance is important to maintain oral health with treatment provided as required. Some dentists provide a mixture of NHS and private care. If you are unsure what services your dentist provides, please ask the practice. All dentists have up-to-date information on the NHS services they have agreed to provide.
The following link provides more information about NHS dental services. This includes information about NHS charges and exemption from charges
https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/
Patients are not registered with NHS dental practices and can attend any practice of their choice. Use the NHS Find a dentist tool to help find the nearest dentist to you.
If you need dental treatment in an emergency
- call your dentist – some practices offer appointments at short notice.
- if you don’t have a dentist, call NHS 111 for advice.
Find out more about emergency and out of hours dental care on the NHS website.
Urgent dental appointments
In April 2026, changes were made to the NHS dental contract which means that dentists are now required to provide a minimum number of urgent appointments each year. These appointments are for urgent dental care and non-urgent unscheduled dental access.
- Urgent unscheduled care: patients who may need clinical care within 24 hours or as soon as practically possible, unless the condition worsens; or
- Non-urgent unscheduled care: patients requiring dental care within 7 days, unless the conditions worsens.
Details of the practices providing these appointments sessions have been forwarded to NHS 111. Patients should contact 111 in the first instance if they need dental care.
NHS 111 will signpost to urgent or unscheduled care at these practices. The ICB has also shared the nationally developed clinical guidelines underpinning the service.
List of practices offering urgent dental appointments.
Access to continuing dental care
One of the best ways to maintain good oral health is via regular attendance at a dental practice on a ‘continuing care’ basis. Although not registered many people attend a dental practice on a regular basis. Some have found it more difficult to achieve access or may have clinical needs that require more frequent attendance. The ICB’s Dental Access Service for vulnerable patients has been established to help certain patients access a dental practice on a continuing care basis, with a particular focus on the following groups:
- Looked-After Children
- Families of Armed Forces personnel
- Asylum Seekers and refugees
- Those with clinical/medical need that requires attendance at a dental practice
- Patients who need dental check-ups in support of hospital treatment
- Pregnant and nursing mothers
Residents of care homes with identified treatment need who are able to attend the dental practice for treatment
- Patients with a learning disability
- Homeless patients
- Other patients who may be locally identified as more vulnerable and would find it hard to access services ordinarily
Details of the Thames Valley dental practices taking part in the Dental Access Service for vulnerable patients from 1 April 2026
Having regular eye tests is an important way to check your vision and the health of your eyes.
Visit the NHS website to find out more about opticians, eye tests and how to find an optician near you.
Optician services are commissioned by NHS England.
Eye issues:
If you have an irritated eye visit your local pharmacy for advice and guidance.
Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if:
- you've injured your eye and it is not getting better after 24 hours
- you're worried about an eye injury
You can call 111 or get help from 111 online.
You could also visit an optician for advice.
Go to A&E or call 999 if:
- a strong chemical, such as oven cleaner or bleach, is in your eye – keep rinsing your eye with water while waiting for medical help
- a sharp object has pierced your eye
- something has hit your eye at high speed – for example, while using power tools or mowing the lawn
- there are any changes to your sight after an eye injury
- you have a headache, high temperature or sensitivity to light
- you're feeling sick or being sick after an eye injury
- you cannot move your eye or keep it open
- blood or pus is coming from your eye
For more information on where to go for eye issues visit nhs.uk
Minor Injury Units (MIUs) and Urgent Treatment Centres (UTCs) provide urgent medical help when it's not a life-threatening emergency. They can diagnose and deal with many common problems people go to A&E for.
It is best to try NHS 111 first to book an appointment or arrival time at the nearest service to you.
They can help with common problems, such as:
sprains and strains
suspected broken bones
injuries, cuts and bruises
stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhoea
skin infections and rashes
high temperature in children and adults
mental health concerns
emergency contraception
The NHS website provides a full overview of the conditions these services can treat.
If you need one, you can often get tests like an ECG (electrocardiogram), blood tests or an X-ray.
If you need a prescription following your assessment, this can be arranged for you.
You do not need to be registered with a GP or have a fixed address.
Across the Thames Valley there are a range of centres:
Buckinghamshire
Urgent Treatment Centre, High Wycombe: Walk‑in or NHS 111. Open 8am–8pm daily.
Oxfordshire
- Minor Injury Unit, Abingdon: Walk‑in or NHS 111 (10am–10.30pm daily)
- Minor Injury Unit, Henley: Walk‑in or NHS 111 (9am - 9:30pm daily)
- Minor Injury Unit, Witney: Walk‑in or NHS 111 (10am–10.30pm daily)
- Chipping Norton Health Centre: NHS 111 (5pm–9pm weekdays; 10am–9pm weekends & bank holidays)
- Bicester Community Hospital: Walk‑in 6pm (11pm weekdays; 8.30am–11pm weekends & bank holidays)
Berkshire
- Urgent Care Centre, Bracknell: (One Medical Group) – Walk-ins or NHS 111 (8am – 8pm daily)
- Urgent Care Centre, Reading: NHS 111 (8am–8pm daily; walk‑ins seen if appointments available)
- Minor Injury Unit, Thatcham: NHS 111 (8am–10pm daily)
- Slough residents can also use the Slough Urgent Care Centre for same‑day minor illness care – Walk-ins (8am - 8pm daily)
- Residents of Maidenhead who are registered with a Maidenhead GP practice and who need same-day urgent care for minor illness or minor injury can be seen locally at St Mark’s Hospital (Monday to Friday: 8am – 8pm, Saturday: 9am – 5pm, Sunday: 9am – 1pm). Minor injury appointments can be booked via your GP Practice (Monday to Friday 8am – 5pm). For more information on the service, read our leaflet
For a mental health crisis or emergency:
- get help from 111 online or call 111 and select the mental health option. 111 will tell you the right place to get help and you may be able to speak to a trained mental health professional over the phone.
Alternatively, you can:
- Call 116 123 to talk to Samaritans, or email:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for a reply within 24 hours
Call 999 or go to A&E now if:
- someone's life is at risk – for example, they have seriously injured themselves or taken an overdose
- you do not feel you can keep yourself or someone else safe
You also visit our mental wellbeing pages for local support services.
GP practices carry out hundreds of thousands of appointments every month. Your GP practice team is there to support you with:
- Routine needs (such as health checks, screening and vaccinations)
- Same day urgent needs, persistent symptoms (that have lasted a few days or a cough that's lasted more than three weeks)
- And ongoing health conditions.
Before you contact yours, consider if there is a more suitable alternative such as visiting your local pharmacy for advice, guidance and over the counter medications.
You will find opening hours on your practice website and to make an appointment you can get in touch, online, by phone or in person. To make sure people can get access to care safely and quickly, practices aim to deliver a range of different ways of having an appointment, providing you with more choice and more convenience. You may be booked an appointment with more appropriate service for your need or a location different to your usual practice site.
If you need medical help and your GP practice is closed or you're not sure where to go and it is not a life-threatening emergency, contact the 111 service online or call 111. The NHS 111 service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a medical emergency you/they should still attend an Emergency Department or call 999.
A&E and Emergency Departments are for life-saving emergencies only.
This can include:
- loss of consciousness
- an acute confused state
- fits that are not stopping
- chest pain
- breathing difficulties
- severe bleeding that cannot be stopped
- severe allergic reactions
- severe burns or scalds
- overdosed
Call 999 immediately if you or someone else is having a heart attack or stroke.
Also call 999 if:
- you think someone has had a major trauma, such as after a serious road traffic accident, a stabbing, a shooting, a fall from height, or a serious head injury.
- someone's life is at risk – for example, they have seriously injured themselves or taken an overdose
- you do not feel you can keep yourself or someone else safe
If you are unsure, call NHS 111, go online or use the NHS App.