Health at Home

Get NHS help online

The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak means you should only leave your home if it’s essential, but it’s still easy to get NHS help using your smartphone, tablet or computer.

This page has information to help you:

contact your GP
order repeat prescriptions
manage long-term conditions
maintain your mental and physical wellbeing

If you need an NHS service, try to do it online first. If you cannot get what you need this way or do not have internet access, try asking a friend or family member to help you, or speak to your GP surgery on the phone.

When to go in person

You should still go to hospital in a serious or life-threatening emergency, or if you feel very unwell.

You should also continue to attend appointments for ongoing treatment, unless you have been told not to.

Otherwise, you should only visit your GP, hospital or other NHS care provider in person if you have been told to by a healthcare professional. This helps to keep you safe, keep others safe and protect the NHS.

Health information and advice

The NHS website has information and advice on:

For urgent medical advice, the NHS 111 online website will tell you when and where to get help, and can arrange for you to be contacted by a nurse if needed.

Only call 111 if you are unable to get help online. In an emergency, dial 999.

If you need to contact a GP

Most GP surgeries can be contacted online. You will be able to tell your GP about your health using an online form or by speaking to someone online. This is called an online consultation.

You can also make requests and ask for information. Visit a GP surgery website to find out how to do this.

Find a GP website

You may already use a GP’s online services. This is an account on a website or app that you can use to access some services online. Patient Access, Practice Plus and myGP are examples of GP online service providers.

If you already have an account to access your GP online, log in to see the services you can use. If not, visit your GP surgery’s website to find out about signing up.

You can also use the NHS App to access GP services. You will need to download and set up the app first if you have not used it before.

More about the NHS App

Appointments from home

Most appointments with a GP, nurse or other healthcare professional will now be via phone call, or by a video call using your smartphone, tablet or computer if they need to see you.

If you have not had a video call before or are unsure how it works, it is an easy process and there is nothing to worry about. Read about GP online consultations or watch our video to find out how this works.

Contacting your GP remotely

You should try to contact your surgery online or by using the NHS App or GP online services, or by ringing your GP surgery.

Online consultation

To get advice, help or support, go to your GP surgery website and fill in the secure online form, to give your GP the information they might need to help you.

This is known as an online consultation, or an online assessment, and helps the practice decide how they need to help you.

After you complete an online consultation, you will get a response from your surgery. This could be an online message, such as an email or a text message, or a phone or video call.

Video or telephone consultation

If a GP, surgery nurse or other member of staff need to speak to you about your online consultation, they will contact you.

You might be asked to have a telephone conversation with your GP or most appropriate person in the practice team. Or they may ask you to use a link, which they will send to you, to join a video consultation at a specific time.

Video consultation

During your video consultation you can speak to your doctor or nurse, in a private setting, as if you were both in the same room.

You will need:

an internet connection
a well-lit, quiet and private space – you can also have a family member with you, if you would like to
a computer, tablet or smartphone

You will need to allow microphone and camera access for the video consultation to work, making sure the built-in camera, microphone and volume are switched on.

Some video consultation systems let you test it is working before you start the call.

If you need to show the doctor or nurse your problem, you can use the video camera. If it’s a place that is hard to reach, such as an injury to the back of your head, you may find it easier to take a good-quality photo or recording of the problem beforehand, so it can be shared.

You can ask the same questions you would if this was a face-to-face appointment at the GP surgery, and it is a good idea to write down any advice or next steps they give you.

While the video consultation will not be recorded, the doctor or nurse will make notes in your GP record in the usual way.

You might receive a follow-up online message or text containing further information or links to advice.

If something goes wrong during your video consultation, such as the connection being interrupted, your healthcare professional will call you back.

If the doctor or nurse feels you need to be seen in person, they will arrange a face-to-face appointment for you or a home visit.

Online consultations should not be used if you need very urgent or emergency care.

Call 999 if someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.

If you need urgent medical help, use the NHS 111 online service. Only call 111 if you are unable to get help online.

Thank you.

Ordering repeat prescriptions

Did you know you can order repeat prescriptions via the Medicines Order line (MOLs) tel: 01246 588 860, 09.00 – 16:00, Monday to Friday, and online via the website, without needing to go to a GP surgery or pharmacy?

You can also ask your pharmacy about getting your medicine delivered to your home, rather than needing to collect it.

You can order repeat prescriptions using:

The NHS App also allows you to set and change which pharmacy your prescription is sent to.

You can pick one near where you live or choose one that will deliver your medicine to help cut down on travel while staying at home.

Ways to manage long-term conditions

While staying at home, it’s important to keep managing any physical or mental health conditions you may have.

The NHS Apps Library has a wide variety of apps and online tools that can help with this, covering different conditions and categories like diabetes, pregnancy and maternity, and mental wellbeing.

The apps have all been assessed as safe to use.

Visit the NHS Apps Library

More for your mental and physical wellbeing

From health communities and forums to eating and indoor exercise resources, there is plenty of online support out there that can help you take control of your health from home.