March 2005
More than 18m homes and businesses throughout England are now able to get independent health care advice in their homes, free of charge.

The culmination of a year-long initiative to improve the availability of health care advice in the home, the NHS Direct self-help guide ‘Not feeling well?' will, by the end of this month, be included in 154 editions of Thomson Local, the community and lifestyle directory that is delivered free of charge to homes throughout the country.

GP and media doctor Dr Hilary Jones supports campaign for more availability of health care information in the home

Published in partnership with the Department of Health and NHS Direct, the NHS Direct self-help guide provides easy to use, step by step advice on the best course of action when faced with a range of common healthcare problems whether at home or at work.

This advice ranges from contacting NHS Direct for experienced help from professionals to simple self-care options which can be administered - on the spot - easily and quickly. Its sixty-four pages are packed with healthcare advice and information on dealing with minor accidents in the home, adult and childhood illnesses, and common health conditions such as backache, earache, fever, flu, and children's rashes. The guide also provides information on what constitutes an emergency and advises what to do in such situations, including an explanation of how to put someone in the recovery position.

Welcoming this major initiative to increase the availability of health care advice in the home, Dr Hilary Jones, GP and media doctor, says: “When faced with health care problems at home and at work, we need to know the best course of action – can we deal with it ourselves or should we get help? We need to make sure that this sort of advice is readily available where and when it is needed most, and the widening availability of this self help guide is making an important contribution to this process.”

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