A NEW guide has been produced to help people look after poorly children.

The Feeling Poorly? booklet is designed to offer guidance when a youngster has a common childhood illness such as a cough or cold.

It has been published as children return to school following the Easter holidays – a prime time for illnesses to spread, with pupils mixing again in the classroom.

GPs from the three NHS Bradford district and Craven clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have put together the guide, which gives advice about managing common ailments at home and identifying when people should seek further help from health and care services.

The booklet is small enough to keep in a pocket or bag or fit into a drawer at home for easily-accessible advice about a range of illnesses including asthma, constipation and fever.

Dr Anne Connolly, GP and clinical lead at NHS Bradford district and Craven CCGs, said: “It’s never nice when children are poorly and it’s natural to worry.

“We all want to do our best to make sure children we look after feel better as soon as possible.

“There are some simple things we can do at home that can make a difference.

“My top tip is to keep some medicines in a convenient place at home. You could keep a thermometer, plasters, creams for nappy rash and painkillers for children such as paracetamol or ibuprofen. But, please remember to keep those little fingers away from the medicines cabinet!

“It’s also important to use the right strength of medicine for the age of your child and use sugar-free options where you can.

“Medicines also have use-by dates, so if you’ve got some medicines left over in the cupboard from previous years it’s worth checking that they are still in date.”

Copies of the guide can be downloaded at bit.ly/feelingpoorly, or people can bookmark the page on a smartphone to access it easily on the move.

Paper copies of the guide are available from various locations across Bradford district and Craven, including pharmacies, GP practices and hospitals.

Dr Connolly added: “Parents and carers know their children better than anyone else, so it’s also important to be aware of where to go when you’re worried and need more help.

“If people are unsure and think their child has an urgent medical problem, they should call NHS 111 – which is fast, free to call and open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”