WITH the festive season approaching, the last thing on most people's minds is how they might deal with illness or an emergency health problem - but just in case, here is some key information for the NHS in Gwent during Christmas and the New Year.

Possibly life threatening illness - you should call 999 and request an ambulance if you, or someone else: Develops tight or heavy chest pain (especially spreading to neck or arm, or you are also sweaty, clammy or vomiting); have serious difficulty breathing; lose consciousness; are fitting.

This is not a complete list and if you feel someone may have a life threatening condition you should call 999. However, 999 ambulances are often called when another service would have been more appropriate. This can be a difficult judgement call.

Accidents and emergencies:

Significant injuries require attention at A&E in the Royal Gwent Hospital or Nevill Hall Hospital.

For a minor injury there are minor injuries units, where waits are likely to be considerably shorter:

* MIU Ysbyty Aneurin Bevan, Ebbw Vale - 9am-7pm, Monday-Friday;

* Local Emergency Centre, Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr , 24/7.

Gwent Out-of-Hours (GP) Service - 0845 600 1231:

This aims to provide medical advice and treatment for urgent problems when a patient or their carer feels such problems cannot safely wait until standard GP hours.

On calling, patients' details are recorded and a doctor or nurse calls back to assess how best to help. This may be through telephone advice or face-to-face assessment at a primary care centre (in Newport, Ystrad Mynach or Abergavenny).

Those few patients who are terminally or seriously unwell will be seen at home. Home visits are also done when travel would cause deterioration in someone’s medical condition.

Your GP - dealing with problems before they become 'urgent':

Make sure routine problems, or those that may become urgent, are dealt with by your GP, if possible before the holiday period.

Using your own GP will be safer as they have your full health details to hand and practice staff and equipment, and it means the out-of -hours service will not have to deal with routine GP work.

GP practices will be closed from:

* 6.30pm on Christmas Eve (Wednesday December 24) until 8am on Monday December 29;

* 6.30pm on New Year's Eve (Wednesday) until 8am on Friday January 2;

* 6.30pm on Friday January 2 until 8am on Monday January 5.

Check with your GP if there are other times during the festive season when routine appointments are not available.

Avoiding the need to use emergency/urgent services:

* Repeat prescriptions - order ahead of the holiday period. Check your supplies and request repeat prescriptions on or soon after Monday December 15 if possible, and collect them in good time. Your usual chemist may be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and/or New Year's Day.

* Pharmacy/chemist - community pharmacists can provide advice and treatment on many minor or self-limiting conditions, along with advice about ongoing medication.

Ensure you have pain killers and other symptom remedies at home before the holiday period.

There will be limited pharmacy opening on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and Sundays.

NHS Direct (0845 46 47) can be contacted for information on opening times.

Out-of-hours pharmacy rotas by council area can be found at www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/866/directory/pharmacies/

* Dentist - dental practices will be open as usual except for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. Some will operate to different or reduced hours over the holiday period (details on practice answerphones).

* Gwent Out-of-Hours Dental Service - 0845 602 0252. On bank holidays and weekends this service will be available for people with an urgent dental problem.

If you do not have a regular dentist and require one for urgent or routine care, the daytime Gwent Dental Helpline - 01633 488355 - may be able to help.

* NHS Direct Wales - 0845 46 47 - provides information and advice about health, illness and health services (including phone numbers and opening times).

* Internet-based advice is available from many sites including: www.nhsdirect.org.uk; www.patient.co.uk; Doinneedadocotor.wales.nhs.uk; www.choosewellwales.org.uk

* Mental health helplines - www.dan247.org.uk (Welsh drugs and alcohol helpline 0808 808 2234); www.callhelpline.org.uk (advice, listening line, mental health helpline for Wales - 0800132737 or text 81066); Samaritans - 08457 909090.

Common minor conditions:

Colds, sore throats, earache, conjunctivitis normally improve without needing medical intervention. Antibiotics do not help most of these conditions (with exceptions such as patients with impaired immunity, including those recently treated with chemotherapy or those who have had transplants).

Pain and fever can be treated with simple pain killers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen.

Guidance on managing fever in under-fives includes the following:

* Do NOT routinely give paracetamol or ibuprofen with the sole aim of reducing temperature;

* Do NOT administer paracetamol and Ibuprofen at the same time, but consider using the alternative drug if the child does not respond to the first one;

* Do NOT use paracetamol or ibuprofen soley to prevent febrile convulsions (fits);

* Do NOT over- or under-dress a child with fever;

* Tepid sponging is NOT recommended. Do NOT put the child in a cold bath.

* Antibiotics are not to be prescribed to children with fever, without an apparent source of infection.

Gastroenteritis is common over the holiday period. Sickness tends to settle within 12-24 hours and the diarrhoea often lasts longer. It is usually treated with fluid replacement, and oral hydration salts available from a pharmacist.

If the patient has bloody diarrhoea, or is diabetic, you should seek medical advice. Seek urgent advice if your child has only one episode of bloody diarrhoea.

Anti-sickness medication is generally avoided (and is not used in children). Anti-diarrhoeal medication may be tried (in adults only) if the diarrhoea persists for several days and there is no significant pain and no bleeding.