--- title: "Practical health guides | HealthAnswers" description: "Practical UK guides to NHS services, appointments, care decisions and checking online health information, with linked sources and clear review status." url: https://healthanswers.co.uk/guides/ robots: noindex --- # Practical health guides | HealthAnswers Practical guidance Prepare for an appointment, understand an NHS process or check something you have read. Start with what you need to do. Medical review and editorial source checks are shown separately. [Understand the review labels](https://healthanswers.co.uk/about/how-we-review/#editorial-guides). ## Prepare for an appointment or decision Organise your questions and leave the conversation knowing what happens next. - ### Preparing for a GP appointment A UK checklist for a GP appointment: what to write down, which medicines to bring, how to use a short slot, and what to confirm before you leave. Editorial guide · Sources checked 8 Sept 2026 - ### Your first NHS Talking Therapies appointment What to ask before an NHS Talking Therapies assessment in England, how to prepare your notes and how to clarify the next step. Editorial guide · Sources checked 8 Sept 2026 - ### Making treatment decisions with your healthcare professional Prepare for a conversation about treatment options, benefits, risks and what matters to you, with a simple worksheet for your appointment. Editorial guide · Sources checked 8 Sept 2026 - ### Supporting someone at a health appointment Help an adult prepare for a GP or hospital appointment, ask for communication support and keep track of the plan while respecting their wishes and privacy. Editorial guide · Sources checked 8 Sept 2026 ## Arrange a check or follow up a result Know where to go, what to ask and who will explain the next step. - ### Getting a blood pressure check Find out where to get a blood pressure check, who can use the free pharmacy service in England, and what to ask about your result and follow-up. Editorial guide · Sources checked 8 Sept 2026 - ### Getting your NHS test results and arranging follow-up How to find NHS test results, use the NHS App in England, chase a missing result and prepare questions for the healthcare team that requested your test. Editorial guide · Sources checked 8 Sept 2026 ## Find your way through NHS services Choose where to ask for help and understand common NHS processes. Each guide explains which arrangements apply. - ### Pharmacy First in England Which seven conditions Pharmacy First covers in England, the age ranges, how to contact a pharmacy and what to ask about assessment and follow-up. Editorial guide · Sources checked 8 Sept 2026 - ### Pharmacy, GP, NHS 111 or A&E? A UK decision guide to pharmacist, GP, NHS 111, urgent treatment centre, A&E or 999 — who each is for, and who should skip the queue. Medically reviewed 13 Aug 2026 - ### Waiting for NHS care What to do while you wait for an NHS appointment, test or treatment in the UK — when to chase, when to go back to your GP, and when to use 111 or 999. Medically reviewed 13 Aug 2026 - ### Repeat prescriptions and the NHS App How to order a UK repeat prescription, nominate a pharmacy, and use the NHS App — plus when to call the GP instead of waiting for the app. Medically reviewed 13 Aug 2026 - ### Fit notes and sick leave When a UK fit note is needed, self-certification for the first 7 calendar days, who can issue one, and what 'may be fit' means. Medically reviewed 13 Aug 2026 - ### NHS Health Check The NHS Health Check is a free midlife review in England for many people aged 40 to 74. Learn what it includes, who should skip it, and what to do with the results. Medically reviewed 13 Aug 2026 ## Check something you have read Bring a health claim back to its sources before using it in a decision about your care. - ### Checking health information online and in AI answers A practical UK guide to checking health claims, reading AI summaries carefully and taking useful questions to your healthcare team. Editorial guide · Sources checked 8 Sept 2026 ## Ready to make your notes? [Choose questions for your GP](https://healthanswers.co.uk/health-tools/questions-for-your-gp/) or use the [appointment checklist](https://healthanswers.co.uk/health-tools/appointment-checklist/). You can print the result to take with you.