Our Nurse Practitioners work complementary to the doctors in that they are qualified to examine, and treat, patients with minor illnesses and injuries. Usually they can see patients on the same day or offer them professional advice over the telephone.
They are able to provide care and prescribe for patients that are suffering from minor, but uncomfortable, illnesses or injures in the daily ’emergency’ clinics. These operate in the mornings and are a joint Doctor/ Nurse Practitioner service.
Nurse Practitioners are qualified to offer help and treatment to patients whose conditions fall within their area of practice.
Examples of the types of problems Nurse Practitioners can advise on and treat are:
Upper Respiratory Tract
| sore throat | earache | colds |
| coughs | fever | chest infection |
| hayfever | boils | nosebleed |
Eyes and Skin
| sore eyes | conjunctivitis | rashes | sunburn |
| eczema | nappy rash | cold sores | shingles |
| threadworms | infected wound | head lice | insect bites |
Abdomen
| abdominal pain | indigestion | diarrhoea | vomiting |
| constipation | rectal problems | urine infections | cystitis |
Head, Neck & Back
| acute headache | dizziness |
| acute neck pain | acute back pain |
Gynaecology
| vaginal discharge | emergency oral contraception |
All Nurse Practitioners are Independent Nurse Prescribers which means they are able to sign their own prescriptions.
By seeing patients with less complex problems the Nurse Practitioners are able to:
- give advice to patients over the phone if all that is required is reassurance, and perhaps self-medication, which again may save an unnecessary visit to the doctor.
- promote better access to the doctors’ appointments
- allow the doctors more time to care for patients with more complicated and serious conditions