Have you got a life-threatening emergency?

Certain conditions should not come anywhere near a GP. This is not because we don't want you to bother us, but because you need immediate emergency care in a hospital for a potentially life-threatening condition.

Are you seriously ill?

Fortunately, most people who contact the GP are not seriously ill. However, if you think that you are seriously ill, please visit our page and find out what to do.

Do you have symptoms of possible cancer?

If you are worried that you might have cancer, or have cancer symptoms, please visit our cancer red flag symptoms page and find out what to do.

Do you need help for your mental health?

There is a Derbyshire-wide 24 hour, 7 days a week, 365 days a year helpline manned by mental health practitioners to help and support any patient who may be struggling with their mental health. You will be given advice and also signposted where necessary. Call the Derbyshire Mental Health Helpline on 0800 028 0077.

Lots of other support is available on our mental health support page.

Are you or is someone you know at imminent risk of self-harm?

Call 999, or go to A&E now if your or someone else's life is at immediate risk - for example you have seriously injured yourself or are going to, or you have taken an overdose or you do not feel you can keep yourself or someone else safe.

For other options, please see our mental health support page.

Do you need repeat medication?

There are options for requesting a repeat prescription without coming into the building. We recommend calling the Medicines Order Line (MOL) on 01246 942751 to order your repeat, or use online Patient Access.

Can you self-care for your condition?

Many conditions presenting to the GP are actually self-limiting (get better by themselves) or are of a minor nature that can respond to self-care or help from the pharmacist. For instance, most earache, sore throats, coughs and colds can be managed quite safely at home.

Your pharmacy can give advice and treatment for most minor ailments and should you feel you still need urgent same day care (but are not seriously ill) you can always attend an urgent treatment centre (UTC) 8am-8pm 7 days a week.

Do you need physiotherapy?

You can speak to and see a physio at Physio Direct for any joint, neck or back problem without speaking to a GP first. Physio Direct is an appropriate first port of call and the physio can escalate onto hospital services if appropriate. Please call Physio Direct on 01246 565050.

If you feel your case is more urgent, quicker appointments (often same or next day) can be obtained by booking in with the First Contact Physio service, which will assess your condition, and investigate, make recommendations, including on pain relief and refer on as needed. To book with First Contact Physio, please ring us.

Do you need social services?

Social services help with any of the above issues and can be contacted directly without having to go via a GP first. Call Derbyshire Social Services on 01629 533190.

PLEASE NOTE: Anyone, whether that be a member of the public or a professional, who has safeguarding or abuse concerns regarding the welfare of an adult or child, has a duty to report those concerns to social services - it does not need to go via a GP first.

Can you refer yourself to another service?

You can speak to and see almost every other health professional working in the NHS without having to go through the GP first.

Please self-refer to any of these services

Click any of the buttons below to be taken to the services page to find out what they do and how to reach them.

If you do not have internet access and cannot find contact details of the service you need please get in touch with us.

Check the full list of services which you can self-refer to, along with full contact details:

Do you need family planning services?

Any queries regarding family planning, including pills, coils and implants, sexually transmitted conditions, lumps, bumps and warts can be directed to the family planning / sexual health service on 0800 328 3383.

Do you need help with a hospital issue?

At the current time, hospitals have been ordered to be more mindful of their impact on passing work through to GPs, and therefore they should be carrying out all prescription requests, fit (sick) note requests, blood test requests and other items of work that usually and very inappropriately land on GPs' desks.

If you have a query regarding any aspect of hospital care, please contact the hospital directly. The best way to do this is to go via your consultant's secretary - we regret that we do not have the resources to call on your behalf.

PLEASE NOTE: In line with this guidance, if you call regarding hospital-related care, we will advise you as above. Any inappropriate tasks, for instance, in outpatient letters, that is transferred to the GPs and which is actually within the remit of hospital care will also be returned back to the hospital.

Extract from current guidance: "All NHS trusts, including secondary, community and mental health providers, will need to make alternative arrangements for prescription and sick note requests that are usually sent to primary care."

Please contact your consultant's secretary to resolve these

Do you need a nurse?

Our nurses are continuing to provide care for long term conditions and nursing procedures.

I still have a problem not answered above

Please bear in mind that during this national covid vaccination booster campaign, we are working in an extremely pressured environment, booking boosters, and seeing to those who are sicker than average.

Therefore if you ring us, please be aware that the phones will be extremely busy, there will be a delay in answering your call, and in line with recognised guidance, we may signpost you elsewhere.

We kindly ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.

Our entire website remains online as a source of advice and support. Our most popular pages are below.

You might also find these downloads and links helpful: