Healthcare Treatment & Advice
Local community health services and hospitals are open so if you have an urgent health concern, please don’t wait. You should always seek help for emergencies, possible cancer signs and attend immunisation appointments.
As part of a national initiative called NHS Pharmacy First Scotland, pharmacists are able to offer free treatment for a range of common health conditions without the need for a prescription. These include urinary infections, impetigo, conjunctivitis, vaginal thrush and eczema. Pharmacists across Forth Valley also provide a local service which provides free treatment and advice for minor skin conditions and skin infections such as dermatitis, cellulitis, insect bites and nail infections.
For more info about the NHS Pharmacy First Scotland scheme, visit NHS Inform or see the leaflet.
If you think you need to see your GP or another member of your Practice team then please call your GP Practice for advice. In many cases you will be offered a telephone or video consultation first however if you need to be seen then arrangements will be made for you to attend the Practice.
If you need urgent health advice out-of-hours contact NHS 24 on 111 and for emergencies phone 999.
Restarting health services
Work is underway to restart a range of local and national health services which were postponed when the NHS was placed on an emergency footing to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. This will be done on a phased basis over the coming weeks and months and appointments will prioritised by clinical need. If your operations or appointment was postponed staff will be contact you direct to reschedule your appointment and you do not need to contact your GP or hospital as this will happen automatically as soon alternative arrangements can be made.
You are likely to be offered an initial telephone or video consultation and if you still need to be seen face-to-face then please don’t worry about attending as new arrangements and infection control measures are in place to protect patients and staff. Video consultations take place online using our Near Me system.
A number updates on specific services are also available on the Service Updates page.
Attending hospital for an appointment or to visit a patient
New procedures are in place for anyone attending a hospital appointment and restricted visiting arrangements remain in place to help reduce the spread of coronavirus and protect the health of patients and staff. Visit the Attending Hospital page for the latest information.
Arranging a test
If you have symptoms of COVID-19 including:
- a new persistent cough,
- high temperature,
- loss of taste or sense of smell,
please do not leave home – you should go online immediately and request a test. If you can’t get online, call 0800 028 2816. If symptoms worsen, or last for more than 7 days, call 111.
For more information about testing and contact tracing visit the Test & Protect page.
**The national NHS Test and Protect is currently experiencing an increase in demand for Covid-19 tests across Scotland however work is underway to increase testing capacity and introduce a number of new local walk-through testing centres.
Home testing kits are also available via the NHS Inform website (www.nhsinform.scot) and test appointments are regular released throughout the day so if you are experiencing difficulty in booking a test please keep checking the website or call NHS Inform on 0800 028 2816.
Vaccine Trials
A new NHS service has been launched providing an opportunity for people across the UK sign up for information on the new COVID-19 vaccine trials.
Researchers are looking for people from all backgrounds, ages and parts of the UK, including both people with or without existing health conditions, to take part in vaccine studies, to make sure that any vaccines developed will work for everyone.
To register, go to the NHS Covid-19 vaccine research registry page and complete the online form.
Information in BSL
For the latest national advice for Scotland visit NHS Inform. For all the latest news and updates from NHS Forth Valley in your area see our news feed, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.