THOUSANDS of families across Darlington have been given access to health information at their fingertips.

A pioneering texting service that directs parents and carers to the right help and advice for common childhood illness has proved invaluable across the borough.

The initiative, launched by NHS County Durham and Darlington, provides an easy-to-read guide available to smart phone users.

By texting ‘poorly child’ to 60110 parents are provided with a diagnosis tool to help them to understand what could potentially be wrong with their child.

The guide clearly explains how common minor illnesses can be safely self-managed at home and also how to determine when and which healthcare professional to contact, if needed.

“We published the childhood illness guide just over six months ago and have since received some incredibly positive feedback from parents,” said Philip Ray, Children’s Commissioning Manager.

“It focuses on some of the most common of childhood illnesses including coughs and colds, ear infections, fevers, rashes and vomiting, and is a fantastic resource for all parents.

“If parents are at all worried they must contact a doctor, health visitor or, if it’s out of hours, call 111. Children with an urgent complaint will always be seen on the same day by a GP in Darlington, but it is always worth parents finding out a little more about common everyday illnesses so they know what to do and where to get help.”

For parents without access to phone application technology, booklets with information about common childhood illness were made available through the town’s 12 GP surgeries and via health visitors.

Jackie Wicling, 32, of Darlington, has a four-year-old daughter and is pregnant with her second child. “When we first brought Evie home she would scream for hours at a time. As first-time parents we didn’t know what to do and it took four calls before we got through to someone who could help. If we’d had something as simple as the ‘poorly child’ texting service it would have been a lot less stressful.

“I think the childhood illness booklet is an excellent idea, too. It helped me to recognise that a rash Evie developed wasn’t meningitis, which was a huge relief.

“Being a parent with a sick child can be very worrying so it’s good to have an NHS service that is available 24 hours a day and can put your mind at ease or give you the best advice on where to turn for the right help.”