Ahead of the busy August weekends with opportunities for socialising back on the agenda, keep yourself safe to avoid adding extra pressure on already overstretched emergency services.
Be sensible with alcohol. Hot weather speeds up the effects of alcohol so extra care should be taken when drinking. Alcohol will lead to dehydration so make sure that you alternate alcoholic drinks with water or fruit juice.
Stick with friends, start low and go slow, and avoid mixing drugs and alcohol. Drink and drugs can impact your ability to remain aware of Covid safety - be sensible and help keep yourself and others safe.
And stay away from the sea when you've been drinking – the beach shelves steeply and it’s easy to get out of your depth quickly. More than a quarter of all adult drowning victims have alcohol or drugs in their bloodstream.
If you need information about sexual health and contraception, visit the Brighton & Hove Sexual Health and Contraception service website.
Take care of your mental health - call phone the Sussex Mental Health Line for Immediate Support 0300 5000 101 or call Samaritan’s on 116 123.
Healthcare
The NHS in Sussex is urging anyone unsure where to go to ‘Think Twice’ about where to get urgent care this summer and to use NHS111 first and get advice from trained health professionals.
If you need a face-to-face appointment with a health professional, please call NHS 111 first, who will help get them to the most appropriate service for treatment.
NHS 111 by phone or online at 111nhs.uk, is available 24/7 and offers advice and guidance for patients experiencing non-emergency, urgent healthcare needs.
Pharmacies should always be the first port of call for things like nausea, bites and stings. Many pharmacies have private consultation rooms where you can receive free advice without the need for an appointment.
NHS walk in centres, Minor Injury Units and Urgent Treatment Centres provide urgent care to patients closer to home and can treat a range of conditions, including x-rays for suspected broken bones, and can also help with minor burns, cuts and scrapes and head injuries.
NHS111 - Talk Before You Walk
- Use NHS 111 - call 111, go online 111.NHS.uk or use the NHS app.
- If you're ill or hurt and need help fast, but it is not a 999 emergency, remember to call NHS 111, open 24/7.
- Call NHS111 and a highly trained operator will answer your call. they will be able to diagnose your symptoms quickly and easily in the convenience and safety of your own home.
NHS111 first for health advice
- If you need advice, support or information about where you can get urgent medical help, call NHS 111.
- Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, you can get advice or directions to the closest, most appropriate NHS service. The trained advisors can also connect you to the GP out-of-hours service.
- Calls to 111 are free from landlines and mobile phones.
- They can direct you to the nearest urgent care service, or book an appointment at the most appropriate place for your care needs.
- You can now also visit 111 online at 111.nhs.uk to answer questions about your main symptom, find out when and where to get help and get a call back from a healthcare professional, if needed.
- If you have difficulties communicating or hearing, you can call 18001 111 on a textphone or use the NHS 111 British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter service.
Pharmacies
- Pharmacists are trained in managing minor illnesses and providing health and wellbeing advice.
- Don’t wait for minor health concerns to get worse – speak to your local pharmacy team to get advice there and then.
- Pharmacists are qualified healthcare professionals offering expert clinical advice.
- Got a minor health concern? Seek expert advice from a community pharmacist.
- Pharmacists are healthcare professionals who can help with things like coughs, colds, and other minor health concerns.
- Minor cuts, bites, rashes? Pharmacists can advise you on the best first aid treatment.
- Get help early, before your condition worsens from your local pharmacist.
- Your local pharmacist can help with much more than you may think and most pharmacies provide a private consulting room for confidential conversations.
NHS Urgent Care alternative to A&E in Brighton & Hove
- Anyone who suffers any minor illnesses and injuries this summer can use the Brighton Station Health Centre.
- Patients can walk in for treatment or call the service first to arrange a telephone triage with a clinician 0333 321 0946.