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Practical guidance

A clearer next step for your health

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.

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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

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

  • 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

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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

Check something you have read

Bring a health claim back to its sources before using it in a decision about your care.