It's currently Health Information Week, a great time to highlight fantastic health resources available nationwide and locally.

On a national level, one of the most informative health tools available to the public is the NHS Choices website.

NHS Choices enables you to book GP appointments online, find local health services and also provides health information, which helps you determine whether you need medical treatment or whether self-care and over the counter remedies would be appropriate.

Closer to home, the CATCH app which we have created jointly with Cheshire East Council and NHS South Cheshire CCG, draws information about childhood illnesses directly from NHS Choices, so the advice it provides is clinically sound and up-to-date.

CATCH is a bespoke app for parents and carers of 0-5s in Cheshire East and is free to download from the App Store, Play Store or catchapp.co.uk.

As well as providing medical guidance, it allows users to create profiles for their children.

It also has an interactive map of health services in Cheshire East and a useful ‘emergency’ section, so parents can prepare themselves for incidents.

Another great local health resource is the Cheshire Care Record, which summarises your health information in one electronic document.

This means that you don’t have to keep repeating your story, such as allergies or long-term conditions, and ensures care as quickly and as safely as possibly.

Finally, a great health resource that can save you valuable time is NHS 111, the non-emergency NHS number, which is especially useful if you require health advice or reassurance during the evening or weekend.

Reassurance and advice can be valuable, but visiting your GP or local A&E department is not always the most appropriate choice, so tools such as 111 and CATCH are a fantastic way of seeking reassurance about your health and the health of your child without causing you any undue inconvenience.

For lots of great advice on choosing the right service at the right time, visit easterncheshireccg.nhs.uk and search for ‘Choose Well’.