Help us to help you!

• Each winter GPs see many people with simple coughs and colds who really don’t need an appointment.
• We’re sending all our patients this text to help you know when you (or your children) DO need a doctor – and when you DON’T.
• That way we can make sure we don’t waste appointments – making it easier for you to book one when you really need one!
• The simplest things to remember are:
  • Cough is nature’s way of getting germs off your chest
  • Cough is natural and harmless (it doesn’t hurt your child, either)
  • Cough often causes green phlegm – that’s nothing to worry about (the exception being if you have COPD)
  • Antibiotics don’t help simple coughs at all
  • It may take longer than you think to clear – often up to 3 weeks
    We’ll send you a couple more texts with more detail – save them on your phone as a reminder!

You only need to see a doctor if:

• You have a lung problem like asthma or COPD which is getting worse with the cough, or
• You have a low immunity (eg being on immune-suppressant drugs)
• It has been going on for more than 3 weeks and is showing no signs of improving, or
• You’re feeling breathless (not just bunged up and having problems breathing through your nose), or
• You’ve a sharp pain in your chest when you take a deep breath (not just a sore rib from coughing), or
• You’re coughing up blood, or
• You’re feeling genuinely ill (barely able to get out of bed) or can’t think straight

If ‘no’ to all the above, remember: cough is nature’s way of getting germs off your chest, it won’t harm you, green phlegm doesn’t matter, antibiotics won’t help and it may take 3 weeks to improve.

Your children only need to see a doctor if

• They are less than 3 months old and have a fever of over 38 or are 3-6 months old and have a fever of over 39, or
• They have a low immunity (eg being on immune-suppressant drugs)
• They have a lung problem like asthma which is getting worse with the cough, or
• They are breathless (not just bunged up) – you may notice them breathing very fast, or their ribs being sucked in, or
• They are making a funny noise in their throat when they breath in, or
• You think it might be whooping cough, or
• They just seem really unwell – drowsy, or pale or blue, or unable to walk about, or baby off feeds (not just because bunged up).

If ‘no’ to all the above, remember: cough is nature’s way of getting germs off your child’s chest, it won’t harm them, antibiotics won’t help and it may take 3 weeks to improve