Children's health advice

NHS Minor injuries units offer fast convenient access to a range of NHS services including health information, advice and treatment for minor illnesses and injuries. Open from early morning to late evening seven days a week, you don't need an appointment.

Southampton (Central) Minor Injuries Unit,
Fanshawe Wing,
Royal South Hants Hospital,
Brintons Terrace,
Southampton
SO14 0YG.
Telephone 023 8071 6539.

The centre is open 8.00am - 9.30pm all week.

NHS 111 gives advice to worried parents about children's health - simply call 111.

The NHS 111 service is staffed by a team of fully trained advisers, supported by experienced nurses and paramedics. They will ask you questions to assess your child's symptoms, then give you the healthcare advice you need or direct you straightaway to the local service that can help you best. That could be:

• A&E
• an out-of-hours doctor
• an urgent care centre or a walk-in centre
• a community nurse
• an emergency dentist
• a late-opening chemist

Where possible, the NHS 111 team will book you an appointment or transfer you directly to the people you need to speak to.

If NHS 111 advisers think you need an ambulance, they will immediately arrange for one to be sent to you.

To find an NHS dentist in Southampton for emergency or routine care, telephone 023 8033 8336 between 8.30am and 5pm.

Your child's doctor's surgery or Health Visitor should ensure that he or she receives immunisations against the common childhood illnesses. The NHS website offers full information on current vaccination practice, and you can check on the schedule for your particular child. It even has advice on the jabs you need when travelling abroad.

To protect your child, NHS England advise parents of children starting pre-school or nursery to contact their GP practice to check that their child's immunisations are up-to-date before they start preschool or nursery.

Meningitis and septicaemia are life-threatening diseases. Knowing the signs and symptoms so that medical help can be sought quickly, can save lives. Only some forms of these diseases have an effective vaccine, so everyone is still at risk of meningitis.

The Meningitis Research Foundation offers support to families whose children have suffered meningitis, and provide a 24 hour helpline on 080 8800 3344.

Head lice and their eggs (nits) can affect anyone (even people with shiny clean hair), but children are particularly likely to catch them, because they play and work closely together in schools and nurseries. Several different companies offer remedies, and their links are listed. Please check with your local pharmacy to ensure you use the currently recommended method of removal. For those who don't like using strong chemicals on their children, especially those with allergies and asthma, the bug busting method of combing using your normal conditioner, may be preferred.