Coronavirus in Lancashire: This is when you SHOULD call 111 according to a Blackpool GP

Dr Rebecca Clark, from Layton Medical Centre, in Blackpool, said the first step for anyone suffering from a new cough or a high temperature should be to follow the NHS advice and stay at home - without calling the NHS 111 helpline.

Asked when people should take further action and call 111, she said the advice is similar for many other conditions.

Examples she listed included children not taking fluid, not going to the toilet, a fever that won't go away or having difficulty breathing.

She said: "As you would normally expect people to self care for a virus you would still do that.

"The point you would normally think 'maybe I need to go to A&E'... it's that physical deterioration, that's when we're asking people to call 111."

Hers is among several practices across Lancashire taking steps to reduce the number of patients coming through the doors in a bid to stop the spread of the virus.

Dr Clark said: "On a day to day basis, we try to take it one day at a time

"We're asking people not to just turn up at the doors of general practice

"We're still having to do the routine work - we're just doing it in a different way at the moment.

"We're doing a lot of things over the telephone; we're trying to promote online prescription ordering."