September 2004
Thomson Local now provides healthcare advice for families as part of its handy local directory.

Thomson has joined forces with the Department of Health and NHS Direct to provide a comprehensive self-help guide for you and your family's health. This 64-page guide has been incorporated into the back of the Thomson Local directory that is delivered to homes throughout England, free of charge.

The guide aims to bring peace of mind to parents of babies and children, offering advice ranging from what to do if your baby won't stop crying to guidance if your child has a tummy pain.

Designed to put parent's minds at rest, the NHS Direct self-help guide is a handy reference for families and covers common health problems including:

	Coughing children
	Crying baby
	Earache in children
	Fever in children
	Hayfever
	Headache in children
	Head injury in children
	Vomiting in children
	Diarrhoea in babies and children
	Tummy pain in children
	Baby rashes

Each section features useful questions and answers which allow you to quickly assess your child's symptoms

The guide also provides information on what constitutes an emergency and advises what to do in such a situation. There's also an explanation of how to put someone in the recovery position.

NHS Direct
Underpinning the self-help guide is the NHS Direct telephone service itself. Staffed by experienced nurses and professional advisors, the 24 hour, confidential helpline provides health advice and information for you and your family. Details of how to contact the NHS Direct telephone service can be found at the start of the guide. There's also information about how to access the NHS Direct Online website for health information.

So if you need healthcare advice, look no further than the back of your Thomson Local directory.

For further information please contact our press office.