Health self-resources
By Dr Jo Coldron, Tavyside Health Centre
After chatting with my 98-year-old grandmother the other day I was struck yet again by the fact that although our day to day needs as humans remain the same, the way we as a society meet those needs changes over time and we need to change too, if we can, to work with what the society of the moment has to offer. For her, having an online shopping delivery from a supermarket arranged by her relatives, and online banking and bill payment has kept her safe and supported in her home during the pandemic - the way she has changed how she does things through her life has amazed her.
In general practice things have changed hugely over the years. The pace seems to have been so rapid since the internet came to dominate our lives and now again with the huge event of the pandemic. There is so much information out there for patients that many of our consultations involve directing people to resources that they can access themselves to improve their understanding and management of common health complaints. I thought it would be helpful to share with you some of our top recommended sites that can either answer a question or help you manage your health without needing to contact your GP, or allow you to have a much more informed and useful conversation with them when you do discuss things during a consultation.
I really hope that you find some of these sites useful.
General health
For NHS patient information leaflets on just about anything go to patient.info
Covid
20% of us will have some symptoms some weeks after having Covid-19 infection. Yourcovidrecovery.nhs.uk is a useful site that discusses what to expect after infection and how to manage ongoing symptoms.
Physiotherapy
You can self-refer for physiotherapy at Tavistock Hospital if you feel you might benefit from the services without waiting to discuss with a GP, at plymouthhospitals.nhs.uk/physio-self-referral-form-tavistock
The Versus Arthritis website has a lot of great information about arthritis and some wonderful exercise leaflets.
Benign positional vertigo is very common and can cause recurrent symptoms. The university of Southampton has a balance retraining program that you can take part in at balance.lifeguidehealth.org/
For NHS information leaflets on ALL physiotherapy topics from Achilles tendon issues to bladder retraining, go to the Oxford University Hospital site ouh.nhs.uk/services/departments/therapies/therapy-rehabilitation/leaflets
Mental Health
There are lots of online resources available but these are some of the sites Tavyside doctors
recommend:
For self-help guides to read or listen to, go to ntw.nhs.uk/selfhelp and get the free app
Moodgym is an online CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) course
NHS Scotland has a wonderful site with some great self-help guides: nhsinform.scot/self-help-guides
Mind has a lot of self-help resources, links and advice
Buddhify.com and headspace focus on meditation and mindfulness. There is a small charge for these sites.
Accidents and emergencies
For any falls, injuries, wounds, bites, stings etc the NHS choices app allows you to see what services are available close to you and the waiting time for each location.
Child health
HANDi app paediatric has lots of guidance about the six most common childhood illnesses: diarrhoea, chesty child, chesty baby, high temperature, abdominal pain, common newborn problems - invaluable for first-time parents!
What 0-18 has lots of information and resources from pregnancy to age 18, including child mental health and maternal health links: what0-18.nhs.uk
Happy Maps is a wonderful site if you are worried about your child’s mental health and pools all the resources available in one site: happymaps.co.uk
Maternity health
Bumps lets you search for any medication, prescribed or shop bought, and check how safe it is in pregnancy: medicinesinpregnancy.org
HANDi app maternity has lots of links to guidance on lots of different pregnancy topics
Women’s health
A few incredible sites have sprung up recently to do with all things menopause and I really encourage you to look at these before speaking to your GP, so you’re aware of all your options, enabling a useful and detailed discussion.
Sexual health
For sexual health, contraceptive and abortion services you do not need contact with your GP as they are self-referral services and can be accessed via the following sites:
Sexual Health in Plymouth - yourship.uk
British Pregnancy Advisory Service - bpas.org