Falcon

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make a request to my Practice?

To make a request to your Practice select the service that you require.

You will be prompted for information about your request. When you complete a request this will be sent to your practice. The system acknowledges that your request has been sent and will let you know what happens next.

The Practice handles the requests during their normal working day, i.e. if you send a request on Friday pm the Practice won’t normally see it until Monday morning.

How do I receive the responses from the Practice?

On some services, such as Ask the Practice a question and Ask the Doctor a question once the Practice has processed your request they will send you a response. This response will be sent to the email address that you have given in the form.

For security purposes the email will ask that you verify your identification. Once you have completed this the message from the surgery will be shown for you to read.

Security of your information

This service always uses fully encrypted connections, the same security as used in internet banking. If you look at the right of the address bar, you will see a small padlock icon. This indicates that you are using a secure link and that your data is encrypted.

As an additional measure your information is held encrypted until the practice need to view it. It is then sent to the practice still encrypted and only converted to readable text at the practice.

Tracking users

We track how you use our Digital Practice but we don’t collect or store your personal information (e.g. your name or address) while you’re browsing. This means that you can’t be personally identified. We use Google Analytics software to track:

The pages you visit

How long you use the site

How you got to the site and what links you clicked on.

We haven’t given Google permission to share this data with anyone else.

How is the Digital Practice updated?

We are continuously working on this site to make sure that the information is accurate and up to date. The digital practice is also continuously updated based on the results of user testing, feedback from members of the public and from your practice and other practices who are using this system.

Suggestions for improvement of the Digital Practice

We are always looking for ways to improve this service and would welcome your suggestions. Please send your comments to suggestions@siliconpractice.co.uk

Links to external sites

Digital Practice links to external organisations when that service is essential for helping a patient complete a task or when helping patients find a service.

Earache and ear pain is common, particularly in young children. It can be painful but isn't usually a sign of anything serious.

How long earache lasts

It depends on what's causing it. Most earaches in children are caused by an ear infection, which usually start to improve after a few days.

Spotting earache in babies and young children

A young child might have earache if they:

rub or pull their ear
don't react to some sounds
have a temperature of 38C or above
are irritable or restless
are off their food
keep losing their balance

Earache and ear pain can affect one or both ears.

How to treat earache yourself

There are some things you can do to help relieve earache and ear pain.

Do

use painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen (children under 16 shouldn't take aspirin)
place a warm or cold flannel on the ear

Don't

do not put anything inside your ear, such as cotton buds
do not try to remove earwax
do not let water get inside your ear

A pharmacist can help with earaches

A pharmacist might be able to tell you:

what else you can do to treat earache yourself
if you can buy anything to help – for example, eardrops
if you need to see a GP

See a GP if you or your child has:

a very high temperature or feels hot and shivery
swelling around the ear
earache in both ears
fluid coming from the ear
something stuck in the ear
an earache for more than 3 days
hearing loss or a change in hearing
a severe sore throat or vomiting

If you can't get an appointment, contact 111 or go to a local walk-in centre.

Find your nearest walk-in centre

What causes earache and pain

Earache and pain can be caused by many things, but sometimes it isn't known what. Here are some of the most common causes:

Symptoms	Possible condition
Ear pain with toothache	children teething, dental abscess
Ear pain with change in hearing	glue ear, earwax build-up, an object stuck in the ear (do not try to remove it yourself – see your GP), perforated eardrum – particularly after a loud noise or accident
Ear pain with pain when swallowing	sore throat, tonsillitis, quinsy – a complication of tonsillitis
Ear pain with a fever	ear infection, flu, cold

[Last reviewed 2017-09-08]

Falcon

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Digital Practice Help

Make online requests to your GP Practice such as:

Submit self-monitoring health reviews (if requested by the doctor or nurse):

Find the forms that you need:

Give feedback to the Practice:

Get advice on common conditions:

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make a request to my Practice?

How do I receive the responses from the Practice?

Security of your information

Tracking users

How is the Digital Practice updated?

Suggestions for improvement of the Digital Practice

Links to external sites

Falcon

How long earache lasts

Spotting earache in babies and young children

How to treat earache yourself

Do

Don't

A pharmacist can help with earaches

See a GP if you or your child has:

What causes earache and pain

Submit self-monitoring health reviews
(if requested by the doctor or nurse):